


Where the Desert Meets the Forest

by BookQueen12321



Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff and Smut, Imprinting (Twilight), Love Confessions, Post-Breaking Dawn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-18
Updated: 2020-12-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 11:21:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 48,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25349923
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BookQueen12321/pseuds/BookQueen12321
Summary: After rewatching Twilight, I am more sure than ever that Jacob deserved better and since there is a lack of Jacob/OC fics, I chose to write one myself! Takes place after Breaking Dawn with everything canon except for Jacob imprinting on Renesmee. Jacob’s life has been going great, at least outside of his love life. Joselyn is a half-Quileute girl from Arizona searching for the community she never had. Are these two exactly what they have been looking for? OF COURSE! Be ready for not so slow burn, LOTS of fluff, and some spiciness towards the middle.
Relationships: Jacob Black/Original Female Character(s), Jared Cameron/Kim Connweller, Leah Clearwater/Original Female Character(s), Paul Lahote/Original Female Character(s), Quil Ateara V/Claire Young, Sam Uley/Emily Young, literally everyone has an imprint
Comments: 18
Kudos: 86





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello world and welcome to my first fanfic!! After watching the Twilight movies again, I was so bummed that Jake didn’t get the fairytale romance that he wanted, so I am giving it to him myself. While I will try and be as accurate to the Twilight lore as possible, it is likely that I will mess up a few names, relationships, or events so please, kindly let me know if you spot any mix ups!  
> I want to acknowledge that the Quileute tribe and La Push reservation used in the Twilight books are in fact based on a real Native American tribe. I have done a good amount of research on both in order to portray them accurately and respectfully, but as this is a work of fiction there may be a few things that I embellish/add (like Jake’s mechanic shop) and others that will be based in real life (such as the tribal school). If anything I say comes off as offensive or ignorant, please don’t hesitate to call me on it and I will fix it!  
> Also I just want to say that I have no idea what my update schedule will be for this story, I have the whole thing plotted out and the next chapter or so already in the works, but I make no promises on when I will post!  
> Finally a very important disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer and all the characters from her books and movies belong 100% to her and not me. That being said, I have come up with a few OC’s to fill up the reservation and the story that are mine. With that over with, sit back and enjoy Where the Desert Meets the Forest!!

Weekly pack dinners were always a mess, no way around it. Ever since the Cullens had left Forks, the tribe had enjoyed relative peace from blood-suckers and started these dinners as a way to celebrate. They usually congregated at Sam’s house, as his wife and imprint Emily was undoubtedly the best cook on the reservation. Not to mention she had dealt with the boys’ giant appetites and egos for years and the chaos didn’t phase her anymore. While it was never an Alpha order to attend, there was no one that would refuse an invitation to eat Emily’s food without good reason.

  
This particular Saturday saw the entire pack, most of the imprints, and some extended family seated outside the Uley house devouring plates of hamburgers, mac-and-cheese, sodas, and the occasional vegetable. Originally, dinner had been hosted inside with the pack huddled around the small dining room table and kitchen island, but as more of the members imprinted and once extended family members caught wind of the tradition, there was no hope of fitting everyone inside. So Emily put the boys to work building her up a large outdoor space to cook and relax. They first constructed a large roofed patio that housed a grill and lots of counters for food. In front of that they added an inground fire pit around which a few wooden chairs were seated and lawn chairs could be added. Finally, they had thrown up a few strands of lights and a few torches around the perimeter so that people could stay outside even as the night grew later. It wouldn’t be in any housing magazines, but it was perfect for them.

  
The chef herself was seated in one of Paul’s lawn chairs and was doted on attentively by her husband as she sat and nursed their six month old daughter Brooke. After the battle with the Volturi, the little family enjoyed years of peace as Sam handed his position as Alpha over to Jacob and took a full time position on the tribe council with Billy Black, Sue Clearwater, Quil Ateara IV, and a few others.

  
Across the lawn, Emily’s niece Claire was making use of the last rays of sunlight to instruct her imprint Quil and the two youngest members of the pack, Brady Fuller and Collin Littlesea, in proper tea party etiquette. The little girl was adored by all who met her and easily charmed her way into getting what she wanted when she wanted with no objection from Quil who was delighted to do anything to make her smile, even put on a fake British accent and sip Sprite like it was tea.

  
Causing the most noise of all were Jared, Embry, and Seth who challenged Leah’s new imprint Atka to a contest to see who could balance the most empty soda cans on their head. Two years ago, Leah had decided to take a break from pack life and moved to Olympia to complete her degree in school counseling, which she had begun online prior to her father’s death. Being there finally gave her the space she needed to heal with a little help from her fellow classmate and imprint: Atka Benally. She had grown up on the Makah reservation and moved to the city herself to study writing. The two dated for only three months before Leah invited her to meet her family and reveal her shape-shifting abilities.

  
Atka took both in stride and when they graduated four months ago, they happily moved to La Push where Leah began working in the local secondary school and Atka worked virtually as an editor. The pack couldn’t have been more ecstatic for their sister to have finally found a mate, but they were ferociously overprotective of her and took every opportunity to playfully challenge Atka to feats of strength and skill which she enjoyed almost as much as they did.

  
Billy Black paused his story to laugh as Seth, frustrated by Embry’s superior soda tower, threw one of his own empty cans at him which began an all out battle between the five. Shaking his head, he turned back to the youth seated in front of him: Paul Lahote, Rachel Black, Kim Connweller, and Jacob Black. The four had been listening to Billy discuss the newest proposals of the tribal council to expand the schools’ access to after school programs.

  
“In fact, one of the new teachers at the tribal school has already submitted a request for an art club.”

  
This piqued everyone’s curiosity. The first day of school had been just a few weeks ago and no one had yet heard about a new teacher. Every few years, teachers would rotate in and out of the tribal school. Some were fed up with the out of the way location, others had been serving only a few years with Teach for America or other such programs, and given the small size of the reservation everyone was always anxious to hear about the newest gossip.

  
“Oh let me guess” giggled Rachel, “She’s here on a mission trip to bring art to less fortunate native children!”

  
Paul added on “No no, I bet she’s actually a secret agent sent by the federal government to learn the secret’s to Emily’s corn bread”.

  
Everyone laughed, it was true that new teachers were not often given the benefit of the doubt.

  
Billy waggled his finger at them. “You’re both wrong! She is a Quileute!”

  
This caught the attention of Sam and Emily, the later who had just finished burping Brooke and came over to stand by them.

  
“Sam was just telling me about her! Who knew we had another cousin hidden out there?”

  
Jacob turned to his father, “Cousin?”

  
Given the size of the Quileute tribe, most members were related by some shape or form and everyone in the pack could trace familial lineage back to the three most prominent families: the Uleys, the Blacks, and the Atearas. However, since most people were born and died on the res, it was shocking to hear of a new member coming out of the woodworks.

  
“Yeah Joselyn! She’s the daughter of my aunt Ellen, I doubt you remember her Jake. She left when I was still in diapers for Arizona, don’t know what for, but she ended up with some Tohono O’odham guy and they had Jos, but I don’t think they ever married. They’ve never been back to visit, too far of a trip, but she just got her teaching license and decided to move up!”

  
General exclamations of excitement came from all around, new teachers were one thing, but family was another. Apparently, Sam and Emily had already had her over for dinner when she first got to town and everyone else was anxious to meet her.

  
Jacob nodded quietly as he began to zone out of the conversation. The last few years had been a mixed bag for the young alpha; while he was relieved to have his pack together without any serious threats to confront, it took him some time to get over Bella’s leaving with the rest of the Cullens. The two had sat down not long after the battle to talk, Bella apologizing for the way she used him in Edward’s absence and Jacob asking forgiveness for his hostile behavior. Although the two would never share the same closeness they once did, they at least parted on civil terms. Nevertheless, Jacob still spent the next few months inwardly mourning his lost love, especially as around him the rest of the pack imprinted and began to move on with their lives.

  
It was finally after a long talk with his father after his high school graduation that Jacob decided that his time of moping was at an end. From there, he dedicated himself to finding a job, after all no one paid him to lead the pack. When he found out that Callum Smith, the owner of the car shop on the res, was thinking about retiring in the next few years, Jake approached him and the two came to an agreement. Jacob would apprentice under the older man for a few years until he got his associates in business online at which point Callum would sign the business over to him.

  
Unlike many things in his life, those two and a half years went incredibly smoothly and for the last year, Jacob had made the transition into running the mechanic shop. It hadn’t been easy, while almost all of his customers stayed on, Jake knew that he wanted to do more than just patch up cars when they came in, so he had expanded the shop and began repairing and selling old cars as well. With the additional workload, and money, he had been able to hire Brady as a full time mechanic as well as Embry who worked the desk in between his computer science classes at Port Angeles.

  
All in all Jacob was happy. His pack was safe, he was financially stable, and he was doing what he loved, but he still couldn’t shake that there was a hole inside of him that hadn’t been filled yet. It had been hard to watch as one after the other, his brothers and Leah had found their partners. Embry met Amanda in his first class at Peninsula, Brady impinted the day after he first shifted on Collin’s little sister Robin, and Collin himself was dating Callum’s granddaughter Grace. He was happy for all of them, no doubt about that, but he couldn’t help but feel jealous that he had yet to find his mate. Sam and Billy assured him that some things take time, but as the years passed, Jake had nearly given up all hope.

* * *

The second Joselyn crossed the border into Washington, she knew she had made the right choice. It wasn’t as if she didn’t love the desert she grew up in, but something inside of her just screamed “home” the moment she saw the evergreens of the Pacific Northwest. It hadn’t been a difficult choice to leave, while she had developed some close relationships in college at the University of Arizona and throughout her childhood, she had longed for a family as long as she could remember. Not that she didn’t have a family, albeit a small one.

  
Her mother, Ellen Uley, had felt her own sense of restlessness when she graduated high school and decided to drive down the west coast. Somehow, she ended up outside Tucson, Arizona, fell in love with the desert, and never left. Without any kind of plan, she began to work as a front desk assistant in a local doctor’s office and quickly won over the locals with her charm and easy going manner. One in particular, Felipe Garcia, caught her eye in return and the two dated for a number of years before they decided to part ways, him back to Mexico and her to stay in Tucson, but not before they had Joselyn. Felipe was a kind man, but still young and not looking to settle down which Ellen never held against him, so she raised her on her own.

  
Although Ellen never heard from him again, she saw him daily in their daughter. Jos inherited the dark skin, short stature, and pronounced cheeks from her father’s Tohono O’odham heritage while her long, thin nose and thick black hair were obviously Quileute. Her cupid’s bow lips and dark eyes could have come from either side, but she liked to attribute them to her mother whose eyes watched her grow and whose lips taught her everything she knew. Joselyn was never resentful of her father’s leaving, if nothing else it made her closer with her mother, but she sometimes wished she could have gone with him to Mexico to meet the family she imagined he had there. All the cousins, aunts, and uncles she dreamed of having. She knew she had them on her mother’s side, but traveling all the way to Washington was such an arduous and expensive journey that Ellen never offered and Joselyn never asked.

  
They never struggled financially, her mother still worked at the same office and ironically also sold natural remedies out of her home. Since the moment she arrived, Ellen always said that the desert spoke to her in a way the forests of La Push never did and because of that, she had no trouble starting her own garden where she raised native plants to heal ailments. Joselyn loved that part of her childhood, she and her mother would spend hours outside, the later tending the garden and the former sketching it. Art had always called to Jos the same way nature called to her mother, it was her sanctuary, the place she was happiest.

  
She had done well in all her academic classes, but every free moment she spent in the art room. Her high school art teacher, Mrs. Rodriguez had tried to convince her to freelance, but Joselyn couldn’t bring herself to charge for what she loved. Instead, she wanted to be what her teacher had been for her, a role model and mentor to young children, so she went to University of Arizona to be a teacher. After graduation, everyone had expected her to return to her local school to teach, after all Mrs. Rodriguez was retiring, but Joselyn felt called to go farther.

  
She initially mentioned to her mother that perhaps they would just take a trip to visit La Push, afterall she had never been, but Ellen saw through her inquiry. She had maintained contact with her brother Thomas and her nephew Sam for many years since leaving and passed their contact information on to her daughter. Hesitant at first to reach out to people who were virtually strangers, she found her extended family to be nothing but gracious and enthusiastic to meet her. Thomas had worked in the tribal school for years as a science teacher and was happy to connect her to the principal, who just so happened to have an opening for a third grade teacher. She had also spoken several times to Sam and Emily who knew of a widow who was moving in with her son and wanted to rent out her old house. From there, it was only a few days before Joselyn announced that she would be leaving.

  
There was little fanfare in her departure, a nice dinner with her closest friends and a day spent with her mother in the garden. After that, she packed her car with as much as she could and began her drive. She had filed the majority of the paperwork she needed for her teaching licensure in Washington online, but she needed to be in Olympia on August 31st for her teaching exam. That gave her three days to drive to La Push and two days to settle into her house before she needed to get back in the car to go to the capital. She would spend a handful of days there registering for her drivers license, taking her teaching exam, exploring the city, and getting her license plates before returning to the res to prep for the first day of school on September 9th.

  
Having gone for many long drives as a child, Joselyn was undaunted by the 26 hour journey that stood between her and Washington and chose to take her time. She planned a route that took her up through Nevada and Oregon, wanting to enjoy a few more days in the desert and get some pictures to later turn into paintings to decorate her new home. The journey was smooth, she hit no inclimate weather and thankfully had no car troubles. Every night she called her mother to let her know that she had made it successfully to a hotel and right on schedule, she arrived at La Push.

  
The day she arrived was oddly reminiscent of Tucson, without a cloud in the sky and with a high of 86, but that is where the resemblance stopped. All around her were trees, ancient, green evergreens that stretched as far as she could see. The main road to the res was well maintained asphalt, but she could see various gravel and dirt roads jutting out from it, likely leading to private properties. It took her about five minutes to enter the main part of town which housed the tribal headquarters where she was meeting her cousin Sam there to pick up her keys and get a short tour of town.

  
As she pulled up, she noticed a tall, short haired man waiting outside the building. He looked up as she got out of the car and met her halfway, smiling brightly and opening his arms for a hug.

  
“Joselyn?” he asked.

  
She nodded, surprisingly nervous to make a good first impression. He smiled even wider as he pulled her into a long hug, the kind that she felt like she could sink into and rely on, a hug between family. She hugged him back fiercely, overcome with emotion at finding exactly what she was looking for only a few minutes upon arriving. To Sam’s credit, he let her hold on for a little longer than was necessary and made no comment as she quickly wiped her eyes.

  
“Welcome home cousin! You won’t believe how excited we are to have you, well Emily and I in particular, but you know that everyone on the res is going to want to meet you right?”

  
Joselyn laughed, incredibly touched by his welcome and appreciating his subtle joke to avoid mentioning her moist eyes.

  
“Well I’m just as excited to meet them! But right now all I can think about is a long nap”.

  
Sam nodded, fishing in his pocket and pulling out a key which he handed over.

  
“I imagine you are, I can’t imagine spending 26 hours in a car! Well let’s get this tour over with so you can get home and settle in. Oh and Emily says she wants to have you over for dinner, doesn’t have to be tonight but maybe tomorrow?”

  
Joselyn agreed “Oh I would love that, but you’re right that tomorrow will be better. Tonight I will probably just order in, save myself the hassle of digging through the kitchen.”

  
“Well it just so happens that we have a handful of restaurants on the res, and a few in Forks, with very quick delivery! In fact, over there is a great pizza place that..."

  
For the next half hour or so, Sam walked Joselyn through the main streets of La Push, pointing out good restaurants, the bank, and the stores all the while adding in bits of tribal or familial trivia. Jos loved it all, the smells, the buildings, the way people smiled and came over to greet her and Sam as they walked around, and how everything felt so deeply connected. Despite her excitement, it wasn’t long before her weariness caught up with her and Sam diplomatically offered to pause the rest of the tour to show her to her house. She accepted his offer quickly and followed his truck about ten minutes outside of town towards the water.

  
At the end of her very own gravel road, they came upon a small, blue, single story home. With a long porch that took up the entire front, the old rectangular house looked to be in excellent shape from the outside with no obvious scuffs or signs of mildew. Immediately inside was a quaint family room with a couch, two chairs, a TV, and a coffee table. This opened right up to the well lit, well stocked kitchen to the left. None of the appliances were new by any means, but they all looked to be clean and in working order. To the right of the family room was a hallway with three doors leading to the bathroom, laundry room, and bedroom. The first was surprisingly big for the small house, with a sink, toilet, and full sized tub-shower combo. The second door housed a small stackable washer and dryer with a foot or so of storage to the side of the units as well as a tall shelf loaded with detergent and linens. Finally came the bedroom, again fully stocked with a comfortable looking queen bed in the middle, two night stands on either side, a set of drawers on the far wall under a nice bay window, and a modest desk near the door.

  
After assuring Sam that she was not too tired to unload her car, she waved goodbye and promised to call him tomorrow to set up a time for dinner. With her cousin gone, Jos made quick work of emptying her car, not bothering to unpack anything, and then calling for a pizza. Her first night in her new home was perfect, quiet and relaxing but full of anticipation for the new life that she would build in it.


	2. Love at First Sight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Y'all. I am literally SO EXCITED that people have already read this, I never expected anyone to actually find it never mind read it, so THANK YOU for taking the time to read, leave kudos, and comments :) In this chapter we FINALLY see these two meet and the romance begin. Also in case it was unclear, every page break indicates a new POV. So in this chapter, we start with Jake, go to Joselyn, and end with Jake again. 
> 
> As always I do NOT own Stephenie Meyer's characters, the Quileute reservation or tribe, or Twilight. 
> 
> Please enjoy chapter 2!!

Jacob sometimes considers how his life would have been different if he didn’t stop by the store before work that day. That particular Monday, the start of the second week of school on the res, he had woken up and gotten ready as normal when he realized he was out of Gatorade. Usually, he would have just added it to his weekly grocery list and gone on with his day, but he knew that today’s temperature was supposed to be unusually high for Washington and being stuck in a hot garage for hours on end would be difficult without something to drink. 

So he stopped by the store, quickly grabbing his own pack of yellow Gatorade before realizing that Brady and Embry would never let him hear the end of the “betrayal” if he didn’t grab them something too. That’s why he spent another 20 minutes walking up and down the drink aisle looking for something for his two idiots, whoops, employees. 

Walking out into the parking lot, he went straight towards his trunk to unload the various drinks he had gotten when he saw his tail light had been chipped. The average person may not have noticed it, but Jake was a fanatic when it came to his car. Every surface was shiny and clean (on the outside at least), every gear oiled to perfection. And what kind of mechanic would he be if he drove around with a busted up taillight?! He quickly put down his load to examine it more closely; it appeared that the other person had backed into him, probably scraping up their own car and dinging Jacob’s. Upon closer inspection, he realized that there was a piece of paper shoved under his tire. He pulled it out. 

_ To the owner of the rabbit,  _

_ I am so sorry I chipped your light!! I was backing up and totally not paying attention where I was going. Text me and we can figure out how I can pay for the damage.  _

_ (520) 105-2008 _

Jake let out a frustrated sigh. “Just what I need.” He thought to himself. 

He finished packing up his drinks, turned on the car, and took out his phone to text the mystery driver. 

_ Hi, I’m the owner of the rabbit in the grocery store parking lot. R u the one that left the note?  _

Satisfied with the message, he sent it and drove to the garage. He was a little surprised to find a reply almost as soon as he pulled up to work. 

_ Yes that is me, I’m so sorry about ur car!! If u want to file through insurance we can, but I am also happy to just pay out of pocket. Lmk!! _

Jake stared at the message for a minute, obviously the sender wasn’t someone who knew him well, most of the tribe could have picked out his prized car. More than that was the area code, it wasn’t from the res or any of the neighboring cities that he knew. 

“Must be a tourist.” he concluded as he typed out his response. There were always a good amount of them this time of year, they loved the views of La Push and some locals had capitalized on the interest by offering things like tours of the state park and boat trips to James Island. 

_ It’s fine, mistakes happen. I’m happy to work outside of insurance too, they can be such morons  _

_ Right?! When I first got my civic some asshole scraped the side and insurance took months to finish my claim! Ugh, anyways where can I meet u to pay 4 the light? Also is it super weird to ask if ur rabbit is a convertible?  _

The next message made him laugh as he handed out energy drinks to the boys at work. Embry was there for the whole day since he only had classes in Port Angeles on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays whereas Brady stopped in for an hour or so before school and a couple after depending on his homework. He looked back at his phone; this person sure was chatty, but in a sort of endearing way. Also they asked about his car, his one conversation weakness. 

_ I wish it was, do u have one? And if u want, u can just come by the auto shop on the res and pay here, do u know where it is?  _

Usually Jake wasn’t much of a texter, he said what he needed to and left it at that, but there was something about this person that made him want to keep the conversation going for as long as he could. Although he checked his phone an embarrassing number of times after his last message, he hadn’t gotten anything back from “convertible girl” in a few hours. At least he thought it was a girl, the person used a lot of exclamation marks which all the women he knew did. Had he said something wrong? Was she just pretending to offer to pay for the damage?

After passing his morning fixing his own car and putting tires on another, he took a quick lunch break with Embry. The latter was chatting about his current classes and, of course, what he and Amanda had done over the weekend. Since Amanda lived in Port Angeles, her imprint would drive up every Friday afternoon and spend the whole weekend with her before coming back home to La Push for the week. This past weekend it sounded like they were both feeling the stress of courses and hadn’t done much more than study and watch TV. 

Jake ate mostly in silence, nodding every now and then at what Embry said. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to spend time with his pack brother, far from it, but he was so damn tired of hearing about everyone else’s imprints that he felt like screaming sometimes. There was a reason he poured so much of his time into work and after hours into fixing up the house he had bought a few months ago. Physical labor was one of the only things that took his mind off his perpetual bachelorhood, but even the house wasn’t the best distraction. When he bought it, he did so with the dream of filling it with his own small family, but the empty rooms and too large bed only made him feel more alone. 

Having finished lunch, he left Embry to file the paperwork and went back into the garage only to find he had a new message from convertible girl. He almost dropped his phone in his haste to read her reply which was actually two messages.

_ Ugh, I wish. I’ve had my civic 4 a few years and it’s great, but there’s nothing like feeling the wind in ur hair. Haha I always say that I purposefully find friends with motorcycles just so I can ride them.  _

_ Oh and sorry about the late reply, I just got on my lunch break. Ik where the shop is, can I meet u there around 4?  _

Jacob smiled giddily at her response, glad he hadn’t scared her off. He debated his response for a few minutes before finally just clicking send. 

_ Haha well I just so happen to also have a motorcycle. And 4 sounds great! Ask for Jake _

His heart leapt to his throat as immediately she began typing back. 

_ OMG u def need to take me for a ride 1 day. But probs not now since my lunch is so short :( where do u ride it? _

They spent the next twenty minutes or so going back and forth about not only the mountain roads Jacob favored on his bike, but also their favorite music to listen to in the car (both Billy Joel) and where she wanted to visit in Washington since she mentioned she was new in town (Rialto Beach). Jake was about to offer to take her this weekend when she sent another message. 

_ Whoops lunch is over. C u at 4 ;) _

Looking at the clock, Jake sighed when he saw it was only 12:46. “Why am I so excited?” He asked himself as he began to fiddle with the engine he was tuning. 

“She’s just coming to pay for my tail-light, and she might not even be a she!” he dropped his head onto the engine with a groan. 

Four o’clock couldn't come soon enough. 

* * *

Joslyn left school that day in a much more dignified manner than she had arrived. She had stopped at the grocery store to buy balloons for a class art project only to accidentally hit someone’s car. After freaking out and writing a note, she was running dangerously close to being late for her second week of school. Luckily, she made it on time and even had a reply from the rabbit owner who seemed very nice and not at all mad. 

“Thank goodness,” she thought to herself “The last thing I wanted to do was get on someone’s bad side in my first month of living here.”

She texted with him for a few minutes, at least she thought it was a him since men were always so to the point over text but eventually had to put her phone away to begin class. This week, she was starting to read “Around the World in 80 Days” aloud to her third graders and bought the balloons for them to decorate with the destinations they wanted to visit. Even though she wasn’t officially an art teacher, Joselyn did what she could to incorporate art into her lessons at least once a week. At the moment, the tribal school didn’t have an art program, but with the council working on a new budget, she had put in an application to start an after school art club. 

This day went smoothly, her class was a delightful bunch of about 20 young children between eight and nine who were all fairly well mannered and very fascinated when they discovered that she had grown up in the mythical land of Arizona. That was part of what inspired her to read the book to them; she wanted her students to learn that the world was a diverse and beautiful place full of different people and cultures. After reading and the art project, Joselyn began their science lesson of the day which was learning about local plant and animal life. 

A fan of kinesthetic learning herself, she told her students that if they focused on their lessons after lunch (math and social studies), she would take them outside to hunt for various creatures. If she hadn’t already won their devotion, that sealed the deal as the children promised loudly that they would behave better than any student who had ever lived. Pleased with their excitement, she dismissed them for lunch as they talked loudly about all the things they would find that afternoon.

With her students passed off to the lunch monitors, Joselyn settled into the teachers lounge with a sigh. There was no question that she loved her job, but lunch was always a welcome reprieve to sit and catch her breath. She traded pleasantries with the few other teachers also on break and reflected on her first few days at the school. Jos had grown close with several of the teachers particularly Milly who was the middle school history and science teacher from Forks and Alex who was the kindergarten teacher born and raised in La Push. It was a lovely community of educators young and old who wanted to see the children of the reservation succeed and everyone was eager to welcome her in, but it was an unspoken rule that lunch was the time that everyone took to themselves to reenergize for the afternoon. That didn’t bother her, especially when they let her in on the not so well kept secret that the teachers had weekly game nights and had added her to their group chat.

Pulling out her lunch and checking her phone, Joselyn realized that she had a new message from the man whose car she hit. She felt a wave of guilt crash over her, she hated being ghosted and hadn’t meant to do the same to him. They exchanged messages for the entirety of her lunch break, initially talking about bikes and moving onto music and travel bucket lists. She knew virtually nothing about this man but she already felt a sense of closeness about him that she couldn't explain. 

All too soon her lunch break ended and with the promise of meeting “Jake” at four, she was glad that she had twenty small children to distract her from thinking too deeply about their meeting. And distract her they did. While they were well behaved during social studies, math was always a struggle for her students. They worked hard though and true to her word, she took them outside to the forest behind the school to explore for the last twenty minutes of school. Jos beamed along with them as they brought her “specimen” to identify, mostly a collection of mossy rocks and occasional bugs, but they were thrilled all the same. By the time the students left and she had tidied her classroom, it was 3:45. “Perfect timing” she smiled. 

She walked briskly to her car and drove toward town where she remembered the repair shop to be from Sam’s tour. It wasn’t difficult to find but when she got there she found herself hesitating before going in. 

“Don’t be silly,” Joselyn scolded herself “I’m just paying to fix his tail light, not marrying him.” 

But at the thought of marrying the funny, charming person at the other end of her phone, she couldn’t help but blush. Frustrated by her own fantasies, she forced herself to turn off the car and grab her bag which contained her keys, wallet, and the spelling tests from last Friday that she told herself she would carry around until they were graded. 

The rectangular building as a whole was well sized with two large garage doors and a sizable parking lot, but the office took up just a small fraction of it with a check in desk and a few chairs that served as a waiting room. At the desk was a tall man about her age, with long shaggy black hair and a serious expression as he worked on the laptop in front of him. 

Somehow looking at him, she knew he wasn't the person she had been texting with which disappointed her, but he had said he’d be here, hadn’t he? 

“Hi!” she called as the door opening hadn’t caught his attention. 

He looked up suddenly. “Oh hello! How can I help you?” 

She blushed again, feeling odd to have come here on the word of a stranger. A stranger who might have been flirting with her over text. “Um I’m here to see someone? Well a specific someone, Jake. I’m here to see Jake.” 

The man gave her a knowing smile, and nodded towards the door on the right. “He’s working on a car right now but you can go on in!”

“Thanks!” she waved, squared her shoulders, and walked through the door. 

The garage was exactly like she imagined it would look, with high ceilings that could accommodate lifted cars and a wide array of tools across the back and left walls, doors against the wall to her right, and a little couch and mini fridge directly to her left. It was a well loved but functional space. After glancing around for a moment, she saw a pair of long jean clad legs sticking out from a gray minivan. 

Joselyn cleared her throat, “Hi, Jake?”

BANG! “Ow, shit!”

The sound startled her as much as she startled him and Joselyn squeaked involuntarily before she ran around to the front of the car and leaned down to offer him a hand. “Oh my gosh I’m so sorry! Are you ok?”

With brief grumblings, the person she assumed was Jake slid himself out from under the car while rubbing his head. Jos’ eyes widened as she took in his figure, he was easily six feet tall with broad shoulders, bronzed skin, short black hair, and abs that were very visible through his white tank top. With the hand not rubbing his head, he clasped her outstretched palm in his own and pulled himself up. 

As their skin touched, she felt an immediate rush of warmth spread through her body; the affection and intimacy she had felt with him over text only heightened as he stood in front of her and they met eyes. His face was chiseled in all the right places, but had an undeniable softness to it that made her long to touch him, kiss him...

“Holy shit where did that come from?!” She gasped inwardly. Startled by her sudden, and  _ very  _ intimate thoughts, she pulled her hand from his grasp as kindly as she could. 

“Jake right?” she asked with a grin, trying to hide the vibrant blush she knew was creeping up her body. 

Joselyn’s mind must have been playing tricks on her, because it seemed that Jake was equally overcome by their handshake as he stared at her with an intensity she had never experienced in her life. 

“Um, what? Yes me, I Jake. I mean,” he cleared his throat and nodded stiffly “I’m Jake, it’s nice to meet you. And you are?”

“Oh my goodness!” She exclaimed. “I guess I never told you my name did I? I’m Joselyn Garcia, and I’m so, so sorry again about your car!”

Jake shook his head. “No I mean, it’s just a car. It's fine, totally fine. But um you said you can pay for it right? The light? If you can’t it's fine, totally fine but” he rubbed his neck and exhaled loudly. 

“Wow you really hit your head didn’t you? Can I get you an ice pack?” Joselyn asked, concerned. Now that she looked carefully, he was looking worse for wear; his pupils were definitely bigger than they were supposed to be, his breathing began to come much faster, and he appeared pretty unsteady on his feet. 

Laughing nervously he wiped his hands on his pants, staring at the floor intently. “No thank you I’m fine just a little, um tired.” 

She raised an eyebrow at him, not quite sure if he was telling the truth or if he wasn’t, why he would bother lying to her. “Well if you’re sure.” Realizing that they had gotten off topic, she asked “So how much do I owe you for the light?”

Jake looked around, avoiding eye contact with her. “Umm, how about 30 bucks?” 

“Thirty? Are you sure?” Jos’ eyes widened. She might not be a mechanic, but she had anticipated dropping at least a hundred to cover her mistake this morning. 

He seemed caught off guard by her response. “Um, yes? Did you want it to be more?” 

She answered quickly, afraid she had offended him. “No that’s not what I meant! I just don’t want to waste your time.” 

“No it’s fine, it’s not a huge job, I had the materials and everything already so I patched it up this morning.” He looked back at her for the first time since they started talking, but still avoided her eyes. “But what about your car?”

Oh, she hadn’t even thought of her car. “It’s fine for the most part, a little scuffed but not too bad.” She shrugged. “Like you said, just a car.”

Jake shifted his weight and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Well if you want to leave it here, I’d be happy to take a look. If you want.” 

Joselyn crossed her arms and cocked her hip, much like her mother did when she dug in during an argument. “No I can’t ask you to do that for free.” 

She was about to offer him another forty at least when another idea came to her. A stupid and probably presumptious idea. She looked up at him, felt that tingling again, and she decided she would be brave. “But I could offer you dinner.” 

His head shot up and his eyes widened as they locked with hers. They were so deep brown they could have been black, like a clear night sky twinkling with stars. Her breath caught again as she felt the intensity of his gaze on her, but it empowered her, emboldened her to finish what she started. She straightened her spine and uncrossed her arms. 

“I could leave my car if you want, and then when I pick it up we could get dinner? My treat?” Her eyes hadn’t left his, and she offered him a nervous smile as he silently contemplated her answer. 

For the first time since Joselyn entered the garage, she saw a look of pure joy come across Jake’s face. His smile was radiant, his cheeks went wide and his eyes crinkled a little on the edges. It made her weak in the knees but strangely confident at the same time to have this beautiful man look at her in such a way. 

“I’d love to.” He replied.

She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Then she giggled, like a middle school girl. 

“Okay, okay awesome!” She smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear that had fallen out of her bun. “So when should I come back?” 

Jake’s smile hadn’t gone away and he quickly pulled his phone out of his pocket to check the time. “It’s 4:10 now, so maybe 6:30? Does that work for you?” 

“That’s perfect!” she exclaimed, maybe a little too loudly, but he then laughed and she was almost tempted to take him to dinner now. 

They stood there for several moments staring at each other with silly grins on their faces. 

“Well um I guess that means I should go ahead and finish grading my spelling student test. I mean, my students’ spelling tests.” she stumbled. 

Just because she had a date with the most attractive man she had ever seen didn’t mean that she could stop doing her job. Besides, if she finished grading before dinner, that meant she could stay out as long as she wanted since she already had Tuesday’s lesson plan set up. 

Her suggestion broke Jake out of their intense staring contest as well. “Oh yeah, you’re a teacher right?” He clearly regretted his comment as soon as it left his mouth. “Not that I’m stalking you! I mean we just met. I mean, my dad he’s on the council and he said there was a new teacher so..."

Joselyn answered quickly, afraid he would back track himself into a tizzy. “Yes I am, don’t worry it’s not a secret.” She dug in her bag for her keys and handed them to him, careful not to touch him lest she fall under his spell again and never leave. 

“Oh thanks” he said, taking the keys and gesturing to the door. “I can walk you out if you want?” 

She smiled at him. “That would be wonderful.” 

Jake grinned back and raced around her to hold open the door. 

“Gorgeous and chivalrous.” she commented to herself as they walked back into the lobby where the same man as before glanced up from his work. 

“All sorted?” he asked her, glancing cheekily at the mechanic behind her. 

“Yes, absolutely perfect.” She turned to look at Jake. “I’ll see you soon!” 

He nodded, his blinding smile gone in the presence of their third wheel, but his eyes were still shining. For her. “Yeah see you tonight.” 

Without any other excuses to stay, she waved to them both and started down the street to the local coffee and tea house. She looked back only once to see Jake still standing at the door watching her leave. She gave him a little wave and turned back around quickly, afraid she would embarrass herself by staring at him for too long. 

“What was I thinking?” Joselyn asked herself during the short walk to Harmony Brew. She didn’t regret her proposal, not for a minute, and she was a bold person by nature, but that interaction left her stunned. She felt as if she had been drawn to him by some inexplicable force and every step she took away from the shop weighed heavier on her. She shook her head to clear it as she entered the cafe and got in line to get herself a calming cup of tea. Once she placed her order and paid, she sat down at a table in the corner and immediately pulled out her phone. 

She opened her group chat with Milly and Alex to ask for ideas for first date locations to which they both responded with the same suggestion of The River's Edge which was a local restaurant right on the res. They also both demanded details on who she was going out with and how they had met. Jos laughed to herself as she recounted the brief story of how she met Jake and was confused when both of her friends responded with surprised face emojis. She read Alex’s message first.

_ I’ve known Jake since we were in diapers and he’s only ever had a thing for this one girl Bella. I don’t think they ever even went on a date...but he was soooo into her I thought he’d never stop talking about her!  _

_ Yeah one of the temp teachers last year asked him out after he helped her change a flat on the side of the road and he rejected her outright. Like not in a mean way, but in a “I don’t date” kinda way.  _

Intrigued, Jos texted with them for a little longer, learning that in addition to being the local mechanic (and eye candy) Jake, or Jacob, was also next in line for chief of the tribe and was well respected by everyone on the res. After promising both of them more details at school tomorrow, Joselyn couldn’t resist just a little more investigating. 

She opened Instagram and first typed in the name of the garage: Callum’s Auto and Body Shop. The account she found was fairly standard, no pictures of Jake or the other man, just cars. 

“No harm in supporting a local business right?” Jos reasoned with herself as she clicked “follow” on the page. 

She did notice that the account was linked to a personal one, Alpha_Jake19, which she opened next. It was a private account, but clearly Jake’s as the profile picture was him standing proudly beside a Harley motorcycle. She paused her online sleuthing to thank the server as they set down her tea. Should she follow him? That would be weird...wouldn’t it? 

“But I already have his phone number, and we’re going out in just a few hours.” She countered. 

Before she thought too deeply about it, she hit follow and immediately turned off her phone and shoved it in her bag. Jos knew that if he followed her back, she’d spend way too much time scrolling through his posts instead of finishing her grading like she promised herself she would. 

She sighed. “Don’t be such a baby, you’ll see him soon.” And with that to motivate her, she sipped her tea and got to work. 

* * *

As Joselyn left the garage, Jake stared at her through the window, unwilling to lose sight of his imprint quite yet. His heart was racing uncontrollably, he could barely catch his breath, and he was so overcome with emotion he thought he might pass out. She walked with confidence down the street towards the Harmony but looked back right as she was about to turn the corner. His heart skipped a beat and he smiled broadly when he caught her eyes and she gave him a wave before continuing on her way. 

Out of sight for mere seconds and he already missed her so much it hurt. Jacob had longed to imprint for years, dreaming about it and even praying for it, but he had never expected it to feel like this. Like everything in his life had led to this one chance encounter with the most incredible woman he had ever met. He knew there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her, no limits to his devotion or his adoration. 

“Joselyn.” he repeated her name in his mind like a mantra. “Joselyn.” It was the most beautiful name he had ever heard, it was the answer to his worries, a balm to his very soul. 

“Joselyn.” Jake whispered loud enough for Embry, who had walked out from behind the desk, to hear. 

“Joselyn huh? So what exactly are you and hot Jos doing later tonight?” he teased, trying to get a rise out of his oddly catatoinc brother. 

Jacob’s reaction was instantaneous. Growling loudly he grabbed Embry’s collar and roughly pushed him up against the wall. 

“Don’t talk about her like that!” he snarled. His inner wolf was livid that another male had expressed interest in his imprint. She belonged to  _ him _ and he would defend her with his dying breath, even against a member of his own pack. 

Embry’s eyes went wide as the reason for his boss’ unstable behavior dawned on him. “DUDE you imprinted?! That’s AMAZING!” His happiness was palpable, but quickly fading as Jake’s hands didn’t move. 

“Jacob, she’s safe, I’m not making any moves on her. You can let me go now”. He reasoned gently with his brother, knowing from personal experience how imprinting impaired one’s judgement. 

Realizing what he was doing, Jake dropped his hands and stepped back. “Shit Em I’m so sorry, it’s just...she’s so..." Words escaped him as he tried to apologize. 

Luckily, Embry was never one to hold a grudge and was practically bouncing with excitement as he ran over to the counter and began frantically texting on his phone. “We have to tell everyone! I just told Sam to call a pack meeting at his house.” 

Jake shook his head. “No I can't, I promised I’d fix her car.” 

Embry blew a raspberry at him. “Brady can do that, we need to get you ready! This is your first date!” He texted furiously for another moment before looking back up at Jake. “What’s wrong with her car? Brady wants to know.” 

“A few scratches I think, but I haven’t actually looked.” he responded, glancing out the window towards the café Joselyn said she was going to. 

After muttering to his phone for a few more seconds, Embry grabbed Joselyn’s keys from where they had fallen on the floor, put them on the desk, and started pulling Jacob out the door. “What time are you meeting her for dinner?” he asked. 

He didn’t even have to think about it. “At 6:30 which is in two hours and eight minutes.” 

Embry started laughing as they got into his truck. “Man Jake, you’ve got it  _ bad _ .” 

They drove towards Sam’s house in silence, Embry concentrating on the road and Jacob replaying the events of the last hour over in his mind. He had spent the better part of his life fixing cars, learning how they worked and what parts do what. He could build an engine with his eyes closed and diagnose a problem just by the noises a car made. But now that he imprinted, his meticulous dedication was directed completely to his imprint. 

They had spent less than 20 minutes together, a bit more if you counted the time they spent texting, and already Jake could tell you the exact smell of her perfume (rose and honeysuckle), describe her blindly to a sculptor, and pick out her laugh amongst hundreds, but it wasn’t enough. There were thousands of other things to learn about her, for them to learn about each other. How did she like her eggs? Did she prefer showers or baths? Where did she go to high school? What were her dreams for the future? Did she want children? Did she want him?

The list went on and on and with each question, Jacob only grew more anxious to see her again. After waiting over 22 years for his imprint, one would think that an hour and fifty-seven minutes was nothing, but to him it felt like an eternity stood between him and Joselyn as they pulled up to Sam’s. 

Aside from Brady who had been sent to the shop, the rest of Jacob’s pack were waiting anxiously in Sam and Emily’s yard. The majority were sitting around the dead fire while Emily walked around with a baking pan of fresh cookies. As the truck pulled up to the house, they all gathered around the passenger door and bombarded Jacob with questions as soon as he opened the door. 

“What’s going on Jake?” Sam demanded above the din. “Embry said we had an emergency on our hands.” 

The man in question let out a very unmanly squeal as he fought to contain his excitement; he gestured for the pack leader to tell everyone before he blurted it out himself. 

Jacob turned back to his family and with a smiling breaking out on his face announced his news. “I imprinted.” 

Howls and cries of approval rang out from around him as he was literally tackled to the ground by the force of the hug that Paul, Jared, and Quil gave him. Emily was so excited she threw her pan in the air and was cackling as Seth and Collin scrambled to collect all the fallen cookies. Eventually, Leah and Sam were able to wrangle everyone into a semblance of order seated around the fire so that Jacob could tell them all about Joselyn. Feeling left out, Brady had called Collin and demanded to be put on speaker phone as he worked on her car. 

So Jacob narrated in excruciating detail the events of that day from his trip to get Gatorade to the last few minutes. He even went so far as to read their text chain out loud and describe for nearly five full minutes the color of her eyes. Everyone was on the edge of their seat, asking questions and demanding pictures. There was even more excitement when Jake opened his Instagram to find that she had followed him. Leah leapt across the circle to rip the phone out of his hand and follow her back before he could object which led to the entire pack taking turns scrolling through her feed. Her profile picture was of her in front of a cactus which everyone commented was reminiscent of his photo with his bike. The rest of her profile consisted of some selfies, several of her paintings, and lots of landscape photos. By the time he finished, the whole pack was feeling rather misty eyed, although none but Quil and Emily would admit it later when asked. 

Seth was the one to break the silence. “So you’re seeing her tonight right? When?” 

“6:30.” Jake replied, checking his phone. “Which is in...OH SHIT! It’s 5:50!” 

Luckily for everyone, it was Emily who sprang into action to organize the now frantic men running around her yard. “Listen up!” she yelled, quickly getting everyone’s attention. 

“First, Jacob you need to shower. Go into our bathroom and do that. Now!” He raced to comply, nearly falling over himself in his nervousness and eagerness to see Joselyn. 

The matriarch of the Quileute pack continued listing off tasks. “Sam, I need you to go find me some flowers,  _ nice _ ones, and bring them back.” Her husband gave her a quick kiss before shifting and rushing off into the woods. 

“Paul and Jared, drive over to Jake’s house and bring him something to wear. Something  _ nice _ . Oh and he’ll need a toothbrush, deodorant, and cologne too.” The boys knew from experience that when Emily told you something, you didn’t ask questions. So they hustled into Jared’s car and began the 10 minute drive. 

She paused to consider who she had left. “Collin, I need you to head over to Callum’s and make sure Jacob’s car is clean. Not just ‘there’s no trash on the floor clean’ but that it smells  _ nice _ too. Embry, you can probably help him with that.” 

Gesturing to Seth, Leah, and Quil she started walking into the house. “Quil would you be a dear and see if Brooke is up from her nap yet? The rest of us are going to make sure Jacob doesn’t implode before it’s time to leave.” 

With Emily’s plan set in motion, she was feeling fairly confident that things would go smoothly, but of course it was never that easy. Brooke had indeed woken up from her nap, but was feeling very grumpy and wanted to do nothing but run around the yard, so she lost Seth and Quil to babysitting. Sam had come back after about 15 minutes in human form with a bouquet of flowers that, upon inspection, were mostly weeds and the majority had bugs. So she sent him back. Luckily, Jacob made it out of the shower unscathed, but seeing as Jared and Paul had yet to return he was reduced to pacing the living room in a towel. 

Leah and Emily did their best to reassure him. Of course she would be just as nervous for the date. Of course they would have a good time. Of course she wouldn’t hate him and move back to Arizona. They managed to get him seated on the couch when squealing tires could be heard out front. Seconds later, Jared and Paul raced into the house each with an armful of random clothing items. 

“What is that?” Emily fumed. “I told you to bring him an outfit, not his entire closet!” 

The two boys were as distraught as she was. “But we don’t know what’s nice!” Paul retorted. 

Jared backed him up. “And we knew that you’d never forgive us if we brought the wrong thing, so we just brought all of it!” 

Emily sighed, those boys had hearts of gold even if they were morons at times. “Fine, we can work with this. Just lay it all out on the floor and we’ll pick something out.” 

They did as she asked and began to rifle through the pile with Emily and Leah to find a suitable and complete outfit for Jacob who had resumed his pacing. Pants were easy, the boys had found a nice pair of dark wash jeans that would go nicely with any color. Thankfully they had also remembered socks, but without shoes. That wasn’t detrimental, Jake’s shoes weren’t too messy to begin with and would be under the table for most of the date. Tops became the primary problem. The unusual weather in La Push that day made most of Jake’s usual options of sweaters, flannels, and long sleeves too warm for the occasion. Not to mention the fact that he was already sweating out of nervousness. Finally, they stumbled across a dark red, short sleeve v-neck shirt. 

“Perfect!” Emily cried and threw it at Jacob. “Now, did you two manage to remember the other things I told you to bring?” 

Jared nodded proudly as he dug in his pocket and produced a toothbrush, deodorant, and cologne which he handed to Jake who ran frantically to the bathroom to finish getting ready. Just then, she got a picture from Brady of Jacob’s rabbit looking impressively clean and with a short message that said: 

_ All clean! And we sprayed some air freshener in it 2! _

The last piece of her plan fell into place as Sam ran back into the house with a much nicer bouquet of flowers, all bug free. With fifteen minutes to spare, Jacob emerged from the bathroom, took the flowers from Emily, and was loaded into Jared’s truck for his date. The pack whooped and waved as they drove off, ecstatic that their Alpha had finally found the woman he deserved. 


	3. A Night Under the Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So ironically, this chapter was probably the first that I planned out when I started writing this story, but as I got going the characters had a totally different plan for themselves, haha. Luckily it still keeps the major plot points I wanted to include, so no harm no foul. I continue to be thrilled with each new kudos and comment, please keep them coming! In this chapter we get to see Jacob and Joselyn's first date and first kiss...I told y'all I wouldn't keep you waiting ;)
> 
> As always I do NOT own Stephenie Meyer's characters, the Quileute reservation or tribe, or Twilight.
> 
> Enjoy chapter 3!

Thanks to Jared’s reckless driving, Jacob arrived back at the garage with three minutes to spare. After giving his brother a quick hug over the console, he walked into the shop where Embry and Brady had left the keys to his rabbit. He found them on the desk, along with Joselyn’s keys, a plastic bag, and a note. 

_ Don’t use them all tonight ;) _

Jake groaned, knowing before he opened the bag what they had bought. Sure enough, the bag contained not one, not two, but  _ three _ boxes of condoms. Sparing a quick glance at the door to make sure Joselyn hadn’t shown up yet, he grabbed a few out of one of the boxes, shoved them in his back pocket, and threw the rest of the bag behind the counter. He pocketed her keys as well before closing up the shop and walking back outside. The second he exited, he could smell her. His heart beat faster as her scent got closer and closer, she was only a block away at this rate. He looked around frantically, not sure if he should stand by the car or the door or...

In the end it didn’t matter. When Joselyn walked around the corner he couldn't think of anything but her and she looked stunning. Although she was in the same clothes he had seen her in earlier, she had made a few subtle adjustments that he instantly took in. She had shed her light wash jean jacket, carrying it in her hand instead, which exposed the white, scoop neck tank top she wore underneath. She hadn’t done much to her bottoms, she still had on the sky blue maxi skirt, but she pulled it up higher on her waist and tucked the tank top into it. Jake couldn’t help but notice that this accented her waist line and pulled her shirt down just enough that he could see some cleavage poking out. Not only that, but she had taken her hair out of the low bun it had been in and now it cascaded down her shoulders in gentle, black waves. His eye was also drawn to the dark brown lipstick she had put on that was just begging him to kiss it off. 

“The boys might have been right with those condoms.” he gulped, wanting nothing more than to ravish her, but he knew that while the imprint had already consumed him, his mate would need more time. 

By the time she made it up to the parking lot, Jake thought he had done a fairly good job of pulling himself together. Enough that he was able to form coherent sentences at least. “You look beautiful.” 

She laughed, straightening her skirt as she looked down at her outfit. “I didn’t have time to change, but I figured I could freshen it up a bit. You’d be surprised what you can do with some time and lipstick from the bottom of your purse.” 

She looked him up and down and winked. “And you look dashing, that color suits you.” 

Feeling slightly bolder than he had during their first meeting, he gave her an exaggerated bow. “Why thank you, my lady.” 

“Truly the pleasure is mine, my lord.” she curtsied back, laughing along with him at their silly greetings. 

When Jacob went to put his hand in his pocket, he felt her keys. “Oh before I forget,” he pulled them out and handed them to her, “your car is all fixed up.” 

She grinned at him, brushing his fingers ever so slightly as she took the keys. “Thank you so much! Let me go put my jacket away and then we can go?” 

“That sounds perfect.” he replied, walking with her across the lot towards her car. 

After unlocking it, Joselyn threw her jacket inside and walked around towards the back to examine the place where her car had been damaged. 

She bent at the waist, dragging her fingers over the spot where the scratches had been a few hours before and made a comment about how it looked, but Jake was consumed with a very different view. While her skirt wasn’t skin tight, her movement had caused it to ride up in a very flattering way, distracting him enough that he didn’t hear the question she directed at him. 

“Huh?” he shook his head, trying not to think about the small foil packages in his pocket. 

Joselyn turned back around and smiled up at him. “Are you hungry?” she asked. “My friend said that the River’s Edge was good, and since I haven’t been there yet I thought we could go there?”

Jake had been there a few times in the past, they had excellent hamburgers and a short path that one could take down to the beach. “Sounds great!” he answered, then pointed towards his car. “Do you want me to drive? I mean, I know the area so it wouldn’t be a problem.” 

“Sure!” she said, already walking towards the rabbit. He jogged lightly to get ahead of her and, continuing with their earlier flirting, opened the door with a sweeping gesture of his arm. 

“Your carriage awaits, my lady.” He looked up to see her covering her mouth, shoulders shaking with laughter. Jacob laughed along with her as she curtsied. 

“How chivalrous of you sir,” she countered, gathering her skirts and stepping into the passenger seat, “now please, let us be off to our feast.” 

“As you wish.” he said. He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side, getting in and starting the car.

They drove the short distance in silence, each sneaking quick looks at the other until, stopped at a light, their eyes met. They smiled goofily, so lost in each others’ eyes that they didn’t notice the light had turned until the car behind them honked angrily. Startled, Jake hit the gas a little too hard which caused Joselyn to let out a shrill squeak. He looked over at her, confused by the noise, and his face caused her to break out into giggles that easily got him chuckling too. Moments later they had arrived at the restaurant, much more at ease with one another. 

They stepped out of the car and walked into the restaurant, Joselyn leading the way and Jacob not far behind. Since they had arrived at the height of the dinner rush, they had to put their names down for a table and stood by the door to wait for their table to be ready. Since there was no large waiting area in the restaurant, they found a quiet corner near the hostess booth to stand. It was close enough that they could hear their names called when their table was ready, but private enough that they could still have a conversation.

During their brief car ride, Jake had found himself too overwhelmed to talk. What do you say to the woman you’re going to spend the rest of your life with? What was the point of small talk when you wanted to know everything about her, her hopes and dreams, her heart and soul? After a vicious internal debate, he decided that he had come up with a question that felt just personal enough to address his ache to learn everything about her without being too creepy or intrusive. 

“Why did you leave Arizona?” 

Joselyn sighed, pushing a few pieces of hair behind her ear. It was her nervous tick, he had discovered. “I loved Arizona, the desert is breathtaking and obviously, I spent my whole life there, so I left behind some people,” she turned towards him, her eyes vibrant and vulnerable, “but there was something missing inside of me. I never got the chance to know my heritage, on either side, and I just had this feeling that there was something here I was looking for, something I needed to feel whole.” 

Stunned by her vulnerability, he decided to reciprocate, “I get that, I felt like that for the last few years too.” he admitted. 

She raised her eyebrows at him, “And what changed?” she coaxed, leaning towards him, her scent overwhelming his senses. 

“Oh shit” he thought to himself. What did he say to that? Did he tell her she was his mate, the other half of his soul? Or did he play it off as a joke, make something up? He scratched the back of his neck, afraid to look at her and blurt out the wrong thing, but after a few tense seconds of silence, he realized he could never lie to her, especially not about this. 

“A few years ago I had a thing with this girl, I was head over heels but she was just using me until her boyfriend proposed.” He crossed his arms and leaned his head against the wall, as if focusing on the ceiling would stop his heart from pounding out of his chest. “After that ended I kinda fell into this rut, thinking no one would ever want me and it didn’t help that literally everyone I know is in a committed, healthy relationship.”

He swallowed, his throat tense as he tried to figure out what to say next when he felt her hand on his arm. Jake moved his gaze to her and found that her eyes looked just as misty as his felt, but she didn’t say anything. Didn’t push him or pressure him, she was just there. He pressed on, “So I guess when I saw you, when we connected like we did, I was afraid of what it meant, of what you would think of me.” 

Groaning, Jake righted himself and covered his face with his hands, her hand falling from his arm in the process. “Sorry, that was kind of deep for a first date.” 

He didn’t move for a while, embarrassed at his admission when he felt her shuffle in front of him and lean her forehead against his chest. “My dad left before I was born, he wasn’t ready for a kid and I don’t resent him for that now, but my whole life I grew up thinking it was my fault, that one day everyone in my life would walk away.” she whispered softly, for his ears only. 

A few tears stained his shirt, whose he wasn’t sure, as she continued, “I think first dates are bullshit, when you meet someone and you feel a bond with them, there’s no rule for what you’re allowed to say when. You just...make it up as you go. You go by what your heart says.” 

After a few seconds, she started backing away from him, “Sorry, that was a lot, I hope I wasn’t reading you wrong I just..."

Jake could sense her apprehension, just like him she was afraid of saying the wrong thing, moving too fast and he was terrified that if he let her go now she would walk away forever. Without thinking, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into him and sighing with relief when she didn’t hesitate to wind her arms around his neck, fitting herself perfectly with him. 

They stayed intwined for minutes, hours, days, Jake wasn’t sure. What he did know was that this woman was his match, his partner in every way, and shockingly he knew she felt the same. Eventually, they broke apart as they heard the hostess shout their name in a rather exasperated voice. Whoops. He glanced down at Joselyn, a question in his eyes that she seemed to understand instantly, “We could get it to go?” she offered. “And then find somewhere quiet to talk more?” 

He took her hand and kissed it reverently, “That sounds like the perfect idea.” 

* * *

After explaining to the hostess that they just wanted to place an order and take it to go, she directed them to the cash register where they ordered two burgers, fries, and milkshakes (chocolate for both of them). Joselyn paid and the two returned to their corner, hands clasped. Instead of trying to reopen their emotionally intense conversation surrounded by strangers, they decided to wait in companionable silence until they had arrived at the destination that he had promised her she would appreciate. He leaned back against the wall and unconsciously reached for her, gently tugging her hand until she came to stand between his legs, a position she quite enjoyed. 

Sighing quietly, she guided his hands around her waist and slid hers over them, holding him tightly to her. From the moment they first texted, she had felt a sense of ease around him, but it paled in comparison to the wave of peace she found in his embrace. Jos prided herself on specific things in life: her art, her hair, and her independence, to name a few. She dated a handful of men casually in college, but they all wanted her to change for them and to dominate her, as if doing both would affirm their masculinity. They didn’t last long at all and eventually, she found no man to be worth the trouble. Besides that, she was a woman of fierce convictions and a bold temperament; the idea of altering or diminishing herself for the sake of a relationship horrified her in a way she couldn't explain. However, in this moment, wrapped up in Jake’s arms she didn’t feel any of that; he treated her in a way that made her feel valued, respected, and like she could be herself freely with him. He was a protector by nature, she could already tell, but it only accentuated the ‘stoic with a heart of gold’ persona that she identified within him. They had only known each other a few hours, hell they were barely twenty minutes into their first date, but she instinctively knew that he would never use his strength, physical or emotional, to sway her to be anything but herself. 

Comforted by these thoughts, she leaned back into him and smiled as he bent his head to her level to nuzzle her neck affectionately, both utterly content. Too soon, their bubble burst when their food was ready. They picked it up at the counter and made their way back to Jake’s car for what he assured her was a quick drive to a spot right outside of town. On the way, they blasted “Uptown Girl” and Joselyn laughed till she cried as Jake pointed and sang to her. By the time they made it to their destination, the heavy mood from earlier had dissipated; not so much that they forgot about it entirely, but enough so that they could entertain themselves with lighter topics at least while they ate. 

The spot he had taken them to was tranquil and intimate clearing surrounded by tall evergreens and coated in lush, green grass. A few minutes off the main road, Jake assured her that he had been coming here for years and no one had ever disturbed him. On top of that, the lack of trees in the middle made it an excellent place to stargazing come nightfall which was approaching faster than she thought. Taking into account their drive to the restaurant, waiting time there, and the drive to the clearing, it was already nearing 7:30 and the light was beginning to dim around them.

After parking the car, Joselyn grabbed the food as Jake moved to the trunk to pull out an armful of blankets and pillows that he kept in the car specifically for days when he came to this spot to be alone with his thoughts. With both of their stomachs protesting loudly, they wasted no time setting up their little picnic and tucking into their food. At first they ate in silence, too preoccupied by the juicy burgers in front of them to talk much, but by the time they moved onto their fries and shakes, the conversation flowed naturally. 

After dunking some of her fries in her shake, Jos broke the silence, “Since we’ve already confessed our deepest insecurities, I think I should know your favorite color.” she commented half joking, half serious. 

Jake laughed mid-fry, chewing briefly before answering, “I suppose that’s only fair, mine is red. Yours?”

She smiled and answered, mouth full of fries, “Gween.” 

Pointing his milkshake spoon at her, he countered. “Now I get to ask a question, why would you destroy perfectly good fries by dipping them in your shake?” 

“How dare you!” she gasped in mock offense. “I’ll have you know this is a sacred Uley family tradition, passed down through generations. Why  _ don’t _ you dip your fries in your shake?” 

Jake shook his head at her, “I suppose one can’t argue with tradition, and if you must know I am a firm advocate for keeping foods separate.” 

“Does that mean you don’t eat caramel corn?” she challenged.

Jake tisked, “Of course not, it's an unholy union of sweet and salty. And it's pronounced carmel.” 

She threw a fry at him in retaliation, which he miraculously caught in his mouth. Applauding, she resumed their question game, “Nicknames?” 

“Jake actually.” he said, wiping some grease from his mouth with a napkin. “It’s funny, people call me that more than my given name, which obviously is Jacob.” 

Humming, she followed up, “And which do you prefer?” 

He flashed her a roguish grin, “Baby you can call me whatever you want.” 

Joselyn hit him with another fry, this one landing on his shoulder and falling onto the blanket. He picked it up and ate it, “Do people ever call you Lyn?” 

She shook her head, “No, my mom’s name is Ellen so that’s her nickname. Most people just call me Joselyn or Jos, but I like the way my full name sounds when you say it.” 

His eyes darkened as they locked purposefully with hers, “Joselyn” he breathed. 

She blushed but did nothing to deter his behavior, she really did love the way he said her name, with such awe, and loved it even more when he did it while looking at her like that. “Two can play at this game.” she thought mischievously to herself. 

Maintaining eye contact with him, she ever so slightly pushed out her chest and slowly bit down on a fry. “Jacob.” she purred quietly.

However, she was unable to maintain her air of sensuality as his jaw dropped comically fast, causing her to howl in laughter. Several minutes later, she eventually composed herself to see him with his head buried in his hands and his face a bright red. She giggled good naturedly as he glanced at her from between his fingers. 

“That was just uncalled for.” he accused her, spurring on more giggles. 

She cleared her throat and sat up with a serious expression on her face, “Okay okay I’m sorry.” To spare him from further embarrassment, she changed the subject, “Ask me another question.” 

They continued this game as they finished their shakes and the sun continued to set. By the time it was fully dark almost two hours later, the trash had been discarded back into the bag they picked up the food in and the two laid side by side on the blanket, hands clasped, looking up at the stars. They had kept up their game with a steady mix of questions about each others’ past, likes and dislikes, and deeper subjects. 

“What’s the last song you sang?” Joselyn asked him, glancing away from the beautiful constellations above her to the equally captivating man next to her. 

He didn’t notice her gaze and she took the opportunity to drink him in, as she knew he had done earlier when she first arrived at the garage. Jacob was an attractive man, there was no argument there. His body was all muscle in  _ all _ the right places, his jaw chiseled, and his eyes striking, but there was an underlying softness to him that attracted her just as much, if not more. Although she knew he could probably bench her weight, the way he had held her at the restaurant showed a remarkable amount of care and awareness of his own strength. His jaw, while striking, gave way to a dazzling smile which she treasured, and his eyes melted Joselyn to her core. She had never been looked at in such a way, like the moon and stars revolved around her. She saw something in Jacob’s eyes that called to her very soul which was terrifying in all the best ways. 

Before she got too carried away with her musings, he interrupted with his response, “Besides our Billy Joel concert in the car? Hmm it must have been ‘Livin’ on a Prayer’ this afternoon in the garage, I had the radio on while I was working.”

She hummed, “A good choice. I think mine was ‘The Clean Up Song’ today before recess.” 

He laughed loudly and tilted his head towards her, “It’s your turn.” he reminded her gently.

Joselyn extracted her fingers from his and brushed her hand up his arm, deep in thought, “What did you think when we first started texting?”

With the sudden shift in tone, Jake turned his body completely towards her until he was resting on his side; his left arm moved from between them to under his head and his right came across his body to rub circles on her hand. “Well at first I thought you were chatty,” he answered cheekily, “but then I just wanted to get to know you, to talk to you for as long as I could.” finishing more seriously, he looked to her, anticipating her answer. 

“Play it safe or take a leap?” Jos asked herself, but really it was a silly question, being risky had gotten her here, hadn’t it?

“I wanted to kiss you,” she blurted out quickly, “which I know is super weird and probably creepy but..."

Moving astonishingly fast, Jacob’s hand detached from her own, wrapped around her waist, and brought her nose to nose with him. They were both breathing heavily, on the precipice of tension that had been building all day. “Joselyn, I’ve waited my whole  _ life _ to kiss you.” 

Her heart beat hard in her chest, her palms were sweating, she felt like her thirteen year old self again, hoping that Daniel Gutierez would kiss her after science. “So why don’t you?” she whispered. 

With a growl, he finally pressed his lips to hers. They moaned at the contact, an electrifying spark coursing through them both. There were no awkward pauses, no fumbling or hesitation, it was as if their bodies knew exactly what the other wanted, what they craved. Aching to be closer to him, Joselyn lifted her left leg from where it laid on the blanket and, wrapping it around his waist, flipped them over, her skirt bunching up around her waist. 

Jacob landed with a soft “oof” on the ground, but didn’t complain as she held his face in her hands and kissed him passionately. With his hands now free, they wandered her body leaving trails of fire in their wake, the right tenderly cradling her neck while the left caressed her hip. They clung to each other desperately, insatiable in their need to be closer, but Joselyn found herself increasingly distracted as her hair, unbound, was getting in the way of their kiss. Frustrated, she sat up with a huff and searched her wrists for hair ties only to find none. 

Chuckling at her irritation, Jake leaned up towards her, “Want to switch?” he suggested to which she gave her resounding approval by bringing her lips back to his.

Without breaking from their embrace, he managed to guide her down onto the blanket, his left hand shifting to hoist her left thigh up around his hip. Joselyn cried out and threw her head back onto the pillow as his movement aligned them so that he was settled between her legs, his large member now directly in line with her own pulsing center. Jacob took full advantage of her position and practically lunged for her neck, sucking and biting the available skin. She gripped his hair fiercely, clutching him closer as his kisses drifted further down her chest towards her enticing cleavage. As he did, her hips began to move on their own accord, grinding up into his and producing the most delicious sounds from the man above her. 

“Joselyn!” he cried as she wrapped her other leg around him, pulling him completely into her body. 

She gasped loudly in approval as he began his exploration of her breasts with greater vigor, all the while pressing his hips to hers with unnerving accuracy. Enjoying his caresses, she leaned her head back and opened her eyes at the perfect moment to see a beam of light sail across the sky. 

“Jacob!” she exclaimed, letting her legs fall back to the blanket as she pointed up above them, “Look, a shooting star!” 

With a groan, he lifted himself off of her and snuggled into her side, his head pillowed on her chest and his arms around her. “Wow! I haven’t seen one in years!” he commented. 

“Shh you have to make a wish!” she scolded, closing her eyes tightly and thinking what she would ask for. 

Then, in a voice so soft she almost missed it, Jacob answered, “Don’t need to, mine’s already come true.” 

Joselyn’s eyes shot open and immediately filled with tears as she looked down at the man cradled against her. Earlier this morning she would never have imagined where she would be now, in the arms of someone who, over the past few hours, had come to know her more intimately that anyone on the planet and who she had grown to know in return. Someone who made her feel confident exactly as she was, who didn’t endeavor to change her or manipulate her. Someone who worshiped the very ground she walked on and made her feel more adored than she had ever felt. In that moment, she knew exactly what she wanted, what she wanted more than anything in the world. 

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” she wished in her mind as her lips met his in a deep, heartstopping kiss. 


	4. A Kiss in the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For some reason this first part fought me tooth and nail, but I have to say I'm pleased with the results! Obviously this fic is rated M and this chapter you finally see why ;) 
> 
> As always I do NOT own Stephenie Meyer's characters, the Quileute reservation or tribe, or Twilight.

Joselyn woke up slowly. Usually when her alarm would blare at 6:30am, she was up with the first ring, groggily wandering into the kitchen to start the coffee before getting ready and gathering her things for the day. Today was different, her body came awake leisurely, enjoying the warmth that surrounded her, the light filtering through the window, and the birds singing around her. 

“Birds?” she thought blearily, “Did I leave a window open?” 

She attempted to sit up only to realize that she was bound in the embrace of two strong arms. Smiling widely, she took in Jacob’s sleeping face and for a few moments, basked in the feel of his body against hers. However, that didn’t last long as it dawned on her abruptly that they had fallen asleep in the clearing and the sun had already risen far over the horizon. 

“Oh shit!” she screamed, startling Jake so much so that he too shouted in alarm. 

Frantically, Jos shuffled through the blankets for her phone to check the time. 7:15. “Oh shit!” she repeated as she stood up and started gathering the pillows and trash into her arms. 

She turned back towards the blanket to see her date still half asleep and very confused, “Jacob we need to go! School starts at 8:30 and we have a training at 8:00!” 

Finally understanding the gravity of the situation, he too began shoving blankets into his trunk before quickly finding his keys and starting the car. 

“Where should I take you?” he asked her as she climbed in the car and he sped towards town. “Your house or the school?” 

Joselyn’s mind raced as she calculated the time she had left. Definitely no time for a shower or coffee, but she could grab a granola bar at the house when she changed. “My place, I can change in five minutes then you could drop me at work?” 

He nodded in agreement and they soon reached their destination. “I’ll be back!” she called to him as she raced inside. Deciding that new clothes were the number one priority, she stripped down and threw her outfit from the day before on the ground. She then pulled on new underwear and a school appropriate olive dress. Flying out of her room, she was thankful for her organized nature that had compelled her to have her school bag by the door and her granola bars on the counter. After shoving the latter into her bag and throwing her it onto her shoulder, she shuffled through her fridge for something she could take for lunch and luckily found a tupperware of egg salad that she had made over the weekend. She sniffed it to confirm its freshness and with that in hand, she ran back out the door and into Jacob’s car. 

“What was my time?” she asked, out of breath. His only answer was to laugh and immediately Joselyn joined in, greatly amused despite their current rush. There were few words left to say this morning, after the shooting star had passed, they spent who knows how many hours trading secrets and kisses beneath the comfort of the blankets, falling asleep only when their bodies demanded it. They hadn’t gone any further than making out, no clothes had even come off, but she felt as tingly as she did the morning following her first time. 

Even though they hadn’t discussed it explicitly, they both knew that a second date would be in store soon. Very soon, if Joselyn could help it. She had no question in her mind that Jacob was one of a kind, the type of man few women were lucky to meet in their lifetimes, if ever. That’s why when they arrived at the school at exactly 7:48, she wasted no time leaning over the gearshift and kissing him like they had all the time in the world. But since she was due in a new teacher training, and had promised her friends details, she forced herself to stop much sooner than she had hoped. 

Still looking a bit dazed from their hectic wake-up, he caressed her cheek as she moved away, “You know, I did promise you a ride on my bike.” he began, “Can I steal you away after school?” 

She beamed at him, “You remembered! Yes that would be wonderful, oh I’m so excited!” she laughed, giving him a chaste kiss before opening her door. 

“I’ll see you in a few hours then?” she asked, trying to stall their goodbye for as long as she could. He was like a magnet, pulling her heart with him wherever he went. 

He smiled back at her, “I’ll wait for you in the parking lot. Just look for the devilishly handsome man in a leather jacket.” he teased. 

Rolling her eyes playfully, she glanced hurriedly at her phone, 7:53. Damn, she really needed to go. 

“I’ll keep an eye out.” she replied with a wink, “Thank you again for the ride.” she added. 

Jake gave her a small bow, “The pleasure was mine, my lady. Now go, don’t want to be late.” 

Blowing him a quick kiss, Jos closed the car door and walked briskly towards the school. Several times she was tempted to turn around, but she knew if she did it would be nearly impossible to resist kissing him again or just leaving her job all together to spend the day speeding through the forests or wrapped up in his arms. When she entered the building, she was startled to find both Milly and Alex positioned at the door. She was barely in the door when they yanked her towards an empty classroom and set upon her with a barrage of questions. 

“How was the date? Where did you go? Did you kiss? What did you talk about? Are you seeing him again?”

Equal parts overwhelmed and giddy, Joselyn answered all of their questions and more. As the two gushed about the romanticness of it all, she reflected on how overjoyed she was to have found friends so quickly in her new home. When she left Arizona, she knew that one of the things she would miss most was her circle of friends, but the warmth of the teachers strengthened the feeling of home she had in La Push. Besides, it was wonderful to have someone to gossip about Jacob to. 

Sadly, their time was cut short as Joselyn was due in training, so with promises of more details over game night, her friends released her. Throughout the presentation on field trip protocols, Joselyn couldn’t help but daydream about the plans she and Jake had made for today. She hadn’t been lying when she told him over text that she loved motorcycles and while she had never owned one herself, she relished the freedom that came from having the wind in her hair and an open road ahead of her. More than that, she was looking forward to seeing him again. She couldn’t help but count every minute that went by, wondering what he was doing and if he felt the same ache for her as she did him. It wasn’t only sexual, although the physical attraction was there without a doubt, but a deeper sense of connection that she had trouble understanding. 

Not one to dwell for too long, she refocused as the meeting ended and her students began to arrive. “I’m fortunate,” she chuckled to herself as she mediated today’s third dispute over erasers, “that I have a job that consumes so much of my attention or else I would be counting down the minutes until school ends.” Thankfully, she managed to settle The Great Eraser War and was able to go on with her morning lessons in relative peace until sooner than expected, she was dismissing her students for lunch. With the weather unusually nice, Joselyn decided to eat outside on the patio behind the library. The few times she had done this over the last two weeks, she had been surprised to find that she was the only one out there. Eventually she decided that it must have been a Washington thing and that since they had so little sun in general most people probably didn’t know what they were missing. Coming from Arizona, she definitely longed for the sun on her cheeks every now and again and took advantage of the weather whenever she could.

Once she sat down and opened her tupperware, she turned on her phone and saw that she had a message from Jacob.

_ Talk during ur lunch? Unless ur busy _

More excited than she expected to be, she quickly dialed his number and put her phone on speaker; he answered on the first ring.

“Joselyn, hi!” 

“Hi!” she answered back, her day made all the more better with just the sound of his voice, “How are you?” 

She heard him let out a frustrated huff, “Busy, there was a small crash right outside the res yesterday so I’ve got three cars in today that need patching up.” 

“Oh no! Does that mean we’re off for this afternoon?” she would be disappointed for sure, but she didn’t want to burden him if he had a lot going on. His job was important to him, she wouldn’t ask him to sacrifice that for her. 

“No!” he blurted, “Sorry that was a little aggressive, I’ve got another mechanic who helps me out after school and he said he could come in so I could take you on our date.” 

“I’m so excited,” she gushed, “I could use a break, you won’t  _ believe _ what one of my students did this morning..."

Although her lunch was brief, they made the most of it, returning to topics they had touched on the night before and breaching new ones. All too soon, it was time for her to return to her classroom. 

“Once the kids leave I still need to tidy up a few things, so I’ll meet you in the parking lot around 3:45?” she confirmed as she walked back towards the building. 

“Yeah that’s perfect! I..." Jacob stuttered for a moment, “I can’t wait to see you.” 

Echoing his statement, they hung up the call. “What was he going to say?” Joselyn wondered, “I love you?!” 

That was absurd, or was it? Their relationship had most definitely moved quickly and she knew that her feelings for him were more than those one usually had on a first date. 

“But do I love him?” she asked herself. She had little time to contemplate this as her attention was consumed by addition and subtraction, but it lingered in her mind up until the final bell. When she finished cleaning up her room and gathering her things, she walked briskly out of the school, and as promised, she found Jacob in a very attractive leather jacket, white tank top, and khaki shorts waiting for her with his bike. Waving perhaps a bit too enthusiastically, she picked up her pace and nearly collided with him in her haste. 

They both laughed, his arms wrapping gently around her waist and her hands resting on his chest. She looked up at him and, seeing the same longing that she felt mirrored in his eyes, she grabbed a hold of his jacket and pulled him down for a kiss. His lips were hungry when they met hers, as if he had been just as desperate to see her as she was him. Unlike the kisses they shared last night, this one presented a problem: their height difference. Jacob was a large man, standing at 5’10” where as she was petite, especially for Quileute standards, and this made it difficult for Joselyn, even on her toes, to get quite as close to him as she wanted. As if feeling her frustration, his hands drifted down towards her ass and, with her moan of approval, he lifted her up into his arms. The new angle was  _ wonderful _ , allowing her to bury her hands in his dark hair and deepen their kiss even more. 

_ HOOOOOONK!  _

She released his lips with a gasp and whipped around to see Alex driving off in their car and giving the pair a thumbs up. Embarrassed, and slightly frustrated, she dropped her head onto Jacob’s shoulder with a groan. He chuckled, a low rumble she could feel in his chest, and kissed the top of her head as he set her down on her feet. 

“You know Alex?” he asked her. 

Jos nodded, “Yes! They’re a great friend and actually the one that recommended The River’s Edge.” 

He picked up a helmet and handed it to her, “I’ve known them since I was a child, I think they graduated a year ahead of me in school? I’m glad the two of you are friends.” 

Jos gave him a peck on the cheek, “Me too.”

After they were both on the bike with helmets, Jake revved the engine and took off down the street. Letting out a whoop of elation, she put her arms around him and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of his firm back and the wind rushing passed them. 

However, she was unable to fully enjoy the ride, or the company, fully as her mind kept coming back to the question, “Do I love him?” 

Part of her was flabbergasted that she was even asking such a question, how could she love someone she had known for only two days? Was she delusional? Sure she knew some stuff about him, they had talked for an entire night, but did she  _ know _ him? Then again, what was a relationship if not a lifelong journey to learn about another person? 

The thoughts continued to bounce around in her mind when they arrived at their destination, First Beach. On their phone call, he had mentioned that it was an iconic part of the res that she was practically required to see. True to his word, it was gorgeous; the soft sand was surrounded by a layer of small hills of rock and wood that had formed naturally over the years, separating the beach from the rest of the world. Seeing as it was a Tuesday in late August, there were a handful of other people there, but not so many that they wouldn’t have privacy to talk. 

  
  


He stopped the bike in the parking lot and accepted the helmet that Joselyn passed to him, strapping it along with his on the handle bars. As she was getting off, her shoe got caught on the kickstand and she fell, careening towards the asphalt when Jacob, who had been on the other side of the bike moments before, leapt towards her to stop her fall. 

“Are you alright?” he asked, his eyes wide with worry. 

Jos laughed him off, blaming her own clumsiness which he accepted only slightly reluctantly as they started their walk towards the beach. However, she couldn’t stop thinking about the look he had when she had fallen, as if his entire world depended on her safety. Thinking about it more, she couldn’t help but also recall the way he had been so vulnerable with her at the restaurant, the tender way he held her as they stargazed, the passion with which he kissed her. 

“How can I not love a man like that?” she concluded. Only one question remained, should she tell him? 

* * *

Being with Joselyn was easier than breathing. When he had picked her up from school that afternoon, he was ecstatic to find that she missed him, craved him as he did her. He would never tire of kissing her, of holding her hand, or of feeling her pressed against him on his bike.

“The imprint is no joke.” He laughed to himself. 

Even if he hadn’t been a wolf, he knew that there was no way he wouldn’t have fallen helplessly in love with the woman at his side. She was bold and confident, a person that spoke their truth and lived by their own principles regardless of others’ opinions. At the same time, she made him feel safe, like he could share his secrets and his life with her without judgement. How could he not love her? 

Still, he couldn’t tell her, at least not so soon; the last thing he wanted to do was frighten her with the intensity and depth of his feelings for her. Nevertheless, he felt like they had said “I love you” in a million ways that afternoon. He said it to her when he saved her from tripping, she did when she held his hand and didn’t let go, when they shared their secrets and insecurities with one another, when he made her laugh until she cried, and in the times she made him smile so much his face hurt. They had said “I love you” over and over, so why was he so hesitant to say it outloud? 

They spent close to two hours on the beach, walking along the water and talking, as they had the night before, about everything and nothing. There was little she didn’t know about him now, other than his shape-shifting abilities of course, and he couldn’t help but feel lighter after every secret they shared. When they neared the touristy section of the beach, they stopped for hot dogs and ate them in the sand while they watched the sky darken with clouds. Eventually, they decided it would be best to head back to town to avoid getting caught in the rain, but just as they got on the bike, the sky opened up. Thankfully it wasn’t so heavy that Jake couldn’t see in front of him, but he knew they would both be soaked by the time he got to her house. So, he made the decision to take her to his place instead; it was much closer and they could just sit on the porch until the rain stopped. 

“Or you could do more.” his brain whispered, “There’s still tons of unopened condoms in your side drawer..."

Shaking those tempting, but presumptuous, thoughts from his mind they finally pulled up to his house. He parked the bike in his open air garage and the two ran as fast as they could inside. They made it into the entryway, sopping wet and staring at each other as they laughed at themselves. He was sure his hair was a mess, it always was when he got rained on, and his tank top was most definitely sticking to him under his jacket. Joselyn was equally waterlogged, her long hair was frizzing and plastered to her head while her dress clung invitingly to every curve of her body. 

“Are we going to wait the rain out here?” Joselyn asked, wrapping her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. 

He shrugged, “I just brought us here cause it was closest, but I can take you home if you want.” Now the ball was in her court, if she wanted to stay, she could. 

She turned fully towards him, raking her eyes unapologetically over his body before meeting his eyes, “I’m quite enjoying myself here.” 

Jake’s heart started to pound, “Are you now?” he challenged in what he hoped was a seductive voice. 

Humming in affirmation, Joselyn walked towards him, her eyes never leaving his, “Why yes I am, but I am a bit cold in these wet clothes..." she paused, now directly in front of him.

This was it, now or never, “I could get you out of them if you want.” 

As soon as the words left his mouth, she pushed him forcefully against the wall and kissed him fiercely, gripping his shoulders and yanking him down towards her. With an animalistic growl, Jacob reciprocated, his hands finding purchase on her hips as he pulled her impossibly closer to him. They kissed desperately for a few minutes when he felt her hands drift down his body, dancing teasingly across his chest, before pushing his jacket off of his shoulders. He released her reluctantly to shrug it off before returning his hands to her back, slowly drifting down until he reached her ass. Squeezing gently, he elicited a low moan from her, a sound that shot straight down to his dick. 

Panting, she removed her lips from his and peppered kisses down his jawline towards his shoulder, sucking and biting as she went. He dropped his head against the wall and gave into her ministrations, hands still firmly resting on her ass. Having made her way towards his ear, she bit the lobe teasingly and whispered, “Take me to bed.” 

He responded comically fast, hiking her legs around him and running as fast as he could up the stairs and down the hall towards his bedroom, distracted all the while by her lips attached to his neck and her center pressed against his aching hard-on. Kicking the door closed behind them, he dropped her softly onto the bed as he pulled off the majority of his clothes and threw them unceremoniously on the floor, leaving him standing before her in nothing but his boxers. 

Joselyn’s eyes widened as she took in his form, instilling him with a boost of confidence. Wolves were deeply attuned to their mates’ needs, and knowing that she found him attractive thrilled him to his core and heightened his need to have her, to please her, to love her as deeply as any man could. 

“Aren’t you going to undress me?” she teased. Damn he loved her boldness. 

Jacob knelt before her and began by taking off one shoe and then the other before dragging his hands up her legs and gripping the bottom of her dress. She lifted her arms, silently signaling her consent for him to proceed. In a perfect world he would have taken his time, worshiping every inch of skin that he exposed, but he could feel the tension vibrating the very air around them and knew that neither of them were patient enough for that tonight. 

Freed from her dress, it was now his turn to stare mouth agape at the woman before him. Her breasts, much larger than he had anticipated, were spilling out of a lacy white bra that contrasted enticingly against her warm caramel skin. Her body was full and curvaceous, a goddess under the modest clothes he had seen her in so far. He also noticed on her waist, an intricate tattoo of a sunset over a desert scene; it was breathtaking and complex, just like her. Drinking in the sight of her, he made his way up her body until he met her eyes, burning with desire and communicating, as if she had spoken, that she trusted him with all of her. Deprived of her taste for too long, he cupped her face and kissed her deeply, slowly, relishing every sound he coaxed from her. Jos’ arms wrapped lazily around his shoulders, guiding him down with her as she laid back on his bed which he had, thankfully, made this morning. 

They kissed for a while, in no rush to do anything but enjoy the intimacy they were building together, but Jacob was a man and eventually he could no longer resist exploring the rest of her. Copying the treatment she had given him earlier, he traced a path down her neck and collarbone until he reached his destination. She lifted her chest up just enough that he could reach behind her to undo the clasps that kept him from seeing her bare. Accomplishing this, he waited while she shimmied out of the bra and tossed it across the room. Wasting no time, he pulled her left nipple into his mouth, sucking gently as his hand massaged her other breast. She keened, holding his head to her with one hand as her other drifted in between their bodies and took a hold of his dick through his underwear. 

“Fuck!” he cried, nearly delirious with pleasure as she slowly stroked her hand up and down his length. He thrust unconsciously into her as he returned to her breasts with vigor, switching sides and lavishing the same attention on her right nipple. He could hear her breathing heavily, moans of pleasure filling the room as they explored each others’ bodies. Jacob could have spent all day in that position, but his hypersensitive nose picked up a new smell, one that claimed his attention immediately. He frantically trailed his mouth down her body, spending brief moments on her stomach before arriving at the junction of her legs. 

He looked up at her, unsure if he should proceed, when her thighs spread open before him. 

“Oh god Jacob, please, I want...I need you to touch me!” she demanded, and he was nothing but happy to comply. 

He made quick work of her underwear, unassuming and blue, and they joined the pile on the floor. Moaning as her scent consumed him entirely, he began by planting kisses up and down her thighs, worshiping her, his imprint. As he moved closer and closer to her center, Joselyn grew impatient, gripping his hair and tugging him to where she wanted his attention. He groaned, turned on beyond belief, as he did exactly as she wanted, licking her slit before pushing two fingers into her tight channel. 

She shrieked, pushing her hips up with such force that she almost knocked him off the bed. Chuckling at her eagerness, he held her hips down with his left hand before returning to his previous mission. His world had narrowed to a single focus, there was nothing he wanted more than to pleasure her, to make her scream, and make her cum. With his fingers still thrusting inside her, he moved his mouth up towards her clit, blowing on it softly before pulling the nub into his mouth. Almost instantly, he could feel her tighten around him as she let out a gutteral moan and came, but Jacob couldn’t bring himself to stop. He was intoxicated by her taste, the noises she made, and was determined to bring her to completion as many times as he could. 

As he began to work on her again, she let out a small whimper and tugged his head up to hers. 

“Jacob,” she breathed heavily, “I want you,  _ now _ .” 

Kissing her in response, he leapt out of bed to put on a condom from his side table and rid himself of his last item of clothing. With both accomplished, he crawled back into bed with her, meeting her lips in a tender kiss. 

He leaned back, “How do you want too..."

Giggling she pointed to her bun, “Well I have a hair tie today, so I can be on top?” 

Jake nodded, sitting against the headboard of his bed as she lifted herself onto his lap and positioned the head of his dick at her entrance. Eyes locked on his, she lowered herself down slowly, hissing with pleasure when he was seated all the way inside of her. They both held still for a few moments, the room silent except for the soft patter of rain against the windows and their own breathing. Using his shoulders for leverage, Joselyn rotated her hips experimentally, causing them both to cry out. Building up a rhythm, she was soon bouncing up and down on him, with his hands firmly on her hips, holding her as close as he could while their bodies moved together in a blissful dance. Watching her writhe above him, he couldn’t resist kissing her, pouring all the devotion and love he possibly could into her lips. 

All too soon, he felt the pressure building inside him and he knew he wouldn’t last much longer. So he reached between them, easily finding her clit and massaging it in time with her movements. She threw her head back with a scream, her body flying towards the edge just as his was. With a final thrust, he was coming inside of her, howling in pleasure as he felt her tighten around him and come as well. For a few moments, they stayed there, clutching one another and trembling from the aftershocks of their lovemaking. As gently as he could, Jacob stood up to remove the condom, disposing of it in the trash can in his bathroom and coming back to bed with a soft towel which he used to clean her up, not wanting her to be uncomfortable as they stayed intertwined in bed. After tossing the towel in the direction of his laundry basket, he fell back onto the pillows beside her, elated when she hummed contentedly and snuggled into his chest. 

So at peace, he barely registered the words that came out of his mouth, “I love you.” 

Joselyn lifted her head and stared at him, eyes filling up with tears. Terrified that he had said something wrong, he began rambling, making up empty excuses and trying to backtrack, only to be stopped when she put her hand to his mouth. 

“You silly man,” she whispered, a few tears leaking down her cheeks, “I love you too.” 

He gasped, literally too overcome for words. She  _ loved  _ him! He had found his soulmate and she loved him, and he loved her, and...he too began to cry as he hugged her to his chest, relishing the feel of her hands softly combing through his hair and her lips planting kisses everywhere she could reach, her own tears falling onto him. 

When they had both composed themselves, he sat up, holding her head softly in his hands. “I know this is fast, but I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you, and I want to love you for the rest of my life.” 

Her tears returned in full force now as she laid her hand over his, “I don’t care that it's fast, my heart knows you and it’s told me from the start that you are the one.” she pressed her forehead against his, “I love you so much.”

They laid together for countless minutes, enjoying the intimacy being together physically and emotionally, but their time was interrupted by a loud ring. Startled, Jacob leapt up to find it, eventually digging Joselyn’s phone out from under their clothing and handing it to her. 

She scanned the notification quickly, “Shit, is that the time? I still need to get my lesson plan together for tomorrow.” She rolled towards him, remorse in her eyes, “I really don’t want to leave, I mean  _ really _ don’t want to leave, but I have to get this done. Do you think you could drive me home?” 

He kissed her sweetly on the forehead as they both stood up and began getting dressed, “Of course! Besides, I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

She sighed audibly, and he turned around, in the mist of buttoning his shorts and she was clasping her bra. “I wish we could, but I have grading to work on and I promised the other teachers I would go to game night. I’m so sorry.” 

Walking towards him, she kissed him sweetly in apology and he lifted her up in his arms, wanting to relish their last few moments together before he had to take her home. They spent longer than needed getting ready after that, exchanging ardent, loving touches. Finally, they held hands as they walked back outside where they found the rain had stopped. They got on Jake’s bike silently and drove the short, ten minutes to Joselyn’s house where he walked her to her door, kissing her once more. 

“I love you.” she reminded him once they separated, her forehead resting on his, “And I’ll see you on Thursday, maybe you could come over for dinner?” 

“Mhm” he mumbled, burying his head in her neck and hugging her one last time before releasing her. “I love you too.” 

With a wave, she disappeared inside the house and he trudged back to his bike. While he was still riding on the high of exchanging ‘I love you’s’, he couldn’t help but feel dread at the prospect of not seeing her until Thursday. Their relationship had been such a whirlwind and he found each moment he spent without her to be harder and harder; at this rate, he knew that he would have to tell her about himself before she found out accidentally. 

Puzzling over this, he came up with a plan, “I’ll call a pack meeting tomorrow to get their approval, and then after dinner I’ll come clean about everything.” Now came the hard part, waiting. 


	5. Desperate Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG almost at 200 hits, thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who has read, left kudos, and commented! :) Yall literally make my day! For the next few chapters I will be focusing mainly on Joselyn's point of view, not because I don't adore Jake, but there are a few things that happen that specifically warrant her thoughts. 
> 
> As always I do NOT own Stephenie Meyer's characters, the Quileute reservation or tribe, or Twilight.
> 
> Please enjoy! :)

“Dude, you’ve  _ got _ to stop moping!” shouted Embry from the office “She didn’t even break up with you, you’re just not going out today.” 

Jacob sighed, he knew his brother was right. After an absolutely magical night with Joselyn, it was hard to accept that he wouldn’t be seeing her today. At least they lived in the same town, Embry only saw Amanda a few days a week and Collin might have to deal with Grace going off to school in Michigan. He could rationalize all of this, but it didn’t make it any easier, nor did the anticipation of the pack meeting that night. He had sent a note to their group text asking that everyone meet at Sam’s house that night to discuss ‘important matters’ or more specifically, the fact that Jake wanted to come clean to Joselyn about what he was. None of the others had moved so quickly with their imprints, Rachel knew from the start only because she was Jacob’s sister and Claire still had no idea that Quil could turn into a giant wolf. He didn’t suspect any pushback for his decision, but it was pack law to discuss these things first. 

He was broken from his thoughts when a familiar scent caught his attention. Smiling broadly, he bounded out of the garage to find Jos walking up towards the building, today wearing a pair of jean shorts and a bright red top that complimented her lipstick. Through a feat of miraculous self restraint, he waited for her near the door instead of succumbing to his instinct to scoop her up, run to his house, and have his way with her. When she reached him, she didn’t hesitate to settle her hands on his neck and kiss him deeply, her tongue darting out to meet his. Groaning, he caressed her hips and drew her closer, relishing the feel of her before he knew she would have to leave. Their kiss ended slowly, neither particularly keen to separate but he was eager to know the reason for her unexpected visit. 

He brushed his lips against her forehead, “I didn’t expect to see you today.” 

Chuckling, she laid her head on his shoulder, “Well neither did I, but I realized this morning that I left my car here on Monday, so Sam offered to drop me here on his way into town.” 

Jake whipped his head towards the parking lot and sure enough, there was her civic sitting right where she had left it when they had gone on their first date to The River’s Edge. 

“Well I’m glad you did!” he laughed, “Or else I wouldn’t have gotten such a warm welcome.” 

She stood up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear, “If we weren’t outside and if your friend wasn’t watching, I assure you it would have been  _ much _ warmer.” 

Sure enough, when he turned around Embry was making no effort to hide his snooping and waved at the pair merrily. Joselyn giggled as Jake flipped him a rude hand gesture, planting a passionate kiss on his lips before beginning to step away. 

“I would really love nothing more than to spend the day with you, but my students await.” 

He understood, knowing that she took as much pride and enjoyment from her job as he did his. “Me too darling, but we can still do dinner tomorrow?” 

Joselyn grinned enthusiastically as she pulled her keys from her bag, “Of course! I was going to make pasta, is that alright?” 

He had told her during their question game in the clearing that pasta was his ultimate comfort food, and the nervous smile on her face showed him that she hadn’t forgotten.“That sounds amazing.” he leaned forward to rest his forehead briefly against hers, “I love you.” 

“And I love you.” she replied, giving him a final peck before walking backwards towards her car. “I miss you already!” she called out her window as she drove down the street towards the school. 

He watched her go, his heart already longing to be with her again, but he would be strong. Like Embry said, it was only a day. Eventually, her car faded from his sight and he could sense that she had arrived at school. It was strange, after making love the night before he could feel her even when they weren’t together. It wasn’t as strong as the pack telepathy since he couldn't read her thoughts, but it was as if her emotions were now a part of his own. For instance last night, her feelings of elation and excitement had come to him through the bond even after she left his house. It was something he knew the other imprint pairs experienced and it made the separation from Joselyn a little easier since it kept them connected. 

Taking comfort in this, he got to work actually doing his job; a few people came in for inspections and put some final touches on an old mustang that he was restoring for a woman all the way from Olympia. With steady work to occupy him, and the continuous presence of Joselyn in his mind, his day passed quickly and at 6:30, he, Embry, and Brady, who had arrived promptly after school, closed up the shop and were driving to Sam’s. 

They arrived first, chatting comfortably in the kitchen with Emily and making faces at Brooke who was having a snack, or more accurately, throwing said snack all over the floor. One by one the rest of the pack showed up and once they were all assembled, they wandered outside to let Emily put the baby down for bed. Everyone was silent, looking towards Jake to explain the ‘important matters’ he had called them here to discuss. 

“I want to tell Joselyn,” he declared, knowing that they all understood exactly what he wanted to tell her, “and I know it hasn’t been very long, but we’ve...well yesterday we..."

Sensing his embarrassment, Jared interrupted teasingly, “I’m sure we’ll all see the details of your lovemaking the next time we shift, so don’t beat yourself up now.” The rest of the pack laughed good naturedly and with the tension gone, Jacob continued. 

“Thanks Jared.” he deadpanned “What I meant was that we said ‘I love you’ and I think she’s ready to know.” 

Shouting over one another, they all wanted to know the details of their last two dates, most of which their alpha was happy to provide. When the excitement finally died down, they put it to a vote and, unsurprisingly, they were in unanimous agreement. With that settled, Jake felt giddy, by this time tomorrow he would tell her everything and they could begin the rest of their lives together. 

Across the circle, Paul cleared his throat uncomfortably, “Collin and I actually have something to report on.” 

This caught everyone’s attention. Since the conflict with the Volturi ended somewhat peacefully and the Cullens had left Forks, the Quileute tribe had no further encounters with any vampires or supernatural problems. Out of an abundance of caution, they continued with sporadic patrols which had diminished as time passed. Now they only set watches once a week which, given the size of their pack, meant that they each only had one patrol a month, give or take. Yesterday had been Paul and Collin’s rotation and, evidently, something had happened. 

Collin nodded in agreement, “We were out around 1:30 when we caught a scent to the north, so we followed it and found 2 dead hikers.” 

“We left an anonymous tip at the police station, and as far as we know they haven’t told the public yet.” Paul continued, “We also looked into the wave of homicides over the past month in Port Angeles. All signs point to vampires.” 

The announcement brought silence upon all of them. If they had been killing in the city for close to a month, there was no telling how many or how powerful they were. Given their success there, why would they bother coming down to La Push? Was it a group of Volturi guards or perhaps enemies of the Cullens? 

As they all sat contemplating the news, Jacob felt a sudden rush of panic flood through him, so intense and unexpected that he nearly fell over. Everyone turned towards him concerned, but he didn’t see them, couldn’t even register their calls of alarm. There was only one thing going through his mind: Joselyn was in danger.

* * *

After a long day at school, there was nothing Joselyn loved more than to go home and paint. Since she could remember it had always been her way of expressing herself and connecting to the world; whether it was in the garden with her mother or taking a walk through the desert, she was never without a small sketchbook. At least half of the boxes she had brought with her from Arizona contained art supplies of some kind (brushes, canvases, paints, etc) and she had been quick to set up a mini studio in the corner of her living room. Her pieces always started from a photo or sketch of whatever caught her eye, but it wasn’t unheard of for them to take on a life of their own and grow from there. 

She was currently working on a landscape of the Washington forest which she had started over the weekend. Given her whirlwind romance over the past two days, she hadn’t had a ton of time to work on it, but after coming home last night from Jacob’s, she felt inspired. That was how a silhouette of a kissing couple had found its way into the foreground. She touched her lips with the hand not holding the paintbrush; she could still feel his kiss even hours later, could still recall with perfect clarity the way he cried her name as he came, the way his lips burned across her skin. 

“Damn am I horny.” she laughed to herself. It had only been a few hours, but she couldn’t stop thinking about him. She wondered if perhaps she should have invited him over tonight, but she knew herself well enough to know that she would be tired after being with her students all day then socializing with the other teachers and would need time to recharge. Best to not push it and strain their new relationship. 

Glancing at the clock, she started to put away her paints and get ready for game night, which probably should have been called ‘game afternoon’ seeing as they started at 5 and ended around 7. As teachers, there were always papers to be graded and classes to plan, so it had been decided well before Joselyn’s arrival that an early night would be better for everyone. Besides, a few of the teachers had significant others or children that they wanted to get back to, so no one objected to the early start. 

She shed her painting smock and gathered the small fruit platter she had been told to bring. This week, Milly was hosting and so she hopped in the car and drove off the res into Forks where she lived. While game night was technically open to all the teachers in the school, there were a handful that came every week. Today this included Alex and Milly (who were obviously regulars) as well as the gym teacher Walter, the middle school English teacher Lauren, and the fifth grade teacher Rayne. Even though she was new, Joselyn had been welcomed warmly into the tradition and genuinely enjoyed all of their company. Teaching was an incredibly rewarding job, but also exhausting which is why game night was an anticipated event every week. 

Always punctual, she was one of the first to arrive and spent a few minutes touring Milly’s house, which she shared with her boyfriend Peter, and gossiping about the vice principal who they thought was pregnant. Once everyone else arrived, they convened around the main table and Walter set about dealing cards for this week’s game: poker. They talked and mingled casually before Alex asked the question that clearly they had been dying to since arriving, “Jos, are you and Jake dating?” 

She smiled, unsurprised by the question, “We are yeah.” 

Milly scoffed, “Ok that is not  _ nearly _ enough information, we need details! You went out Monday right? And Alex said he picked you up yesterday too? Tell us everything!” 

Laughing as everyone echoed the sentiment, Joselyn told them all about how the two of them had fallen asleep together on Monday and had gone yesterday for a walk on First Beach. Even though she purposefully avoided the topic of sex, her friends read between the lines and didn’t let it slide that easily. 

“Did you really have sex on the second date?” Lauren said with a not so subtle hint of disdain. Already married with a child, she was known for her very conservative views on relationships which she made no effort to hide. 

“Don’t be such a stick in the mud!” Rayne chastised as she took a bite of the cookie that Walter had brought, “A woman’s business is her business! Who are we to judge?” 

Grateful for the support, Joselyn sent her a smile before ducking back behind her cards. Alex, who was seated next to her, wasn’t quite satisfied. 

“How was it?” they asked quietly as Milly entertained the rest of the table with a story about a model volcano gone wrong. 

Jos felt a warmth inside of her as she thought of their lovemaking, what words could possibly describe how wonderful it was to be so thoroughly adored? To be connected with someone so perfectly in the most intimate way possible? 

“Amazing,” she gushed, “He’s just amazing.”

Her friend squealed quietly and squeezed her hand, “I’m so happy for you!” 

Jos squeezed back, “Me too.” 

With everyone’s curiosity settled, Joselyn was able to avoid further questions about her relationship with Jacob and as the night wore on, the conversation drifted to student shenanigans and who had the best classroom set up. Eventually, all the snacks had been eaten and people slowly began to depart. Joselyn stayed behind for a while longer, giving Milly and Alex a few more details that she had withheld from the general conversation, like the magical things Jacob could do with his tongue, but soon she too needed to depart to prep the activity she had planned on ecosystems. 

She set off for home with a smile on her face and a stomach full of good food. Sighing contentedly, she admired the sunset, only a few minutes now from her house. In the summer, the sun didn’t set until until much later in the day, but even with good visibility she hadn’t seen the man in the road until he was literally right in front of her. With a shout, she veered right in an attempt to avoid him and crashed head on into a large evergreen. Thankfully her airbag deployed, but she was still shaken and quite dizzy. She sat stunned in her car for a few more moments before it dawned on her, what happened to the man? Mindful of her own injuries, she made her way gingerly out of the car only to find that there was no one in sight.

“What the hell?” she wondered aloud, had she imagined him? Regardless of his existence or lack thereof, Joselyn knew she needed help, so she began to stumble back to her car to fetch her phone. But before she had taken a few steps, she was roughly grabbed from behind; she screamed and immediately began to struggle, but it was no use, his arm had locked around her waist like a vice and trapped her arms against her sides.

She could feel his cold breath against her neck as he leaned down, “No need to struggle sweetie,” he said, his tone sarcastic, “You’re just the bait, should your pack cooperate no harm will come to you.” 

Her mind still reeling from the crash, what was he talking about her ‘pack’? “Let me go please, I’ll give you whatever you want..." she begged. 

He chuckled sinisterly behind her, “Whatever I want? Oh if only..." she tensed as he sniffed her neck, “Hmm I see he’s already had a taste of you hasn’t he sweetie? When this is all over I’ll show you what a real man feels like.” 

Trembling, she struggled in vain to escape his grasp, but it was no use. Jos sobbed in frustration, nearly ready to give up when she heard a deafening howl and the crackle of undergrowth from somewhere to her left. 

The man holding her didn’t flinch as a giant wolf burst through the trees and barreled towards them. It stopped only a few feet away, growling threateningly and raising its hackles. Too surprised to do anything but gape, she couldn’t help but notice that the eyes of the wolf were strangely expressive, almost familiar. However she didn’t have time to think too deeply about it as the man’s other hand came up to grip her hair, pulling it tight and limiting her mobility even further. 

“It took you longer than I had expected mutt.” he addressed the wolf, “But don’t worry, your mate is safe, for now.” 

This prompted another deep growl from the beast, which only seemed to amuse the man more. He lowered his head down to hers, licking her cheek posessively, “She tastes delicious, but I’m sure you know that already, don’t you?” 

Joselyn gagged, squirming to escape his disgusting lips as he continued taunting the wolf, “Now that you’re here, we can get down to..." before he could finish the sentence, another huge wolf charged straight for them, prompting the man to drop her and run inhumanly fast in the other direction. Both creatures gave chase, followed by several more who emerged from where the second one had come from. 

She laid there on the ground, eyes closed and unmotivated to move, so stunned that she didn’t even hear the car as it screeched to a stop beside her, “Joselyn! Joselyn are you alright?”

Opening her eyes, she saw the worried face of Sam staring down at her as his arms carefully picked her up and brought her back to his car where a familiar woman sat at the wheel. 

“Leah I think she’s hurt, we’ll take her to the clinic.” 

The woman, Leah, nodded silently as she slammed the gas and sped them towards the small health clinic on the res. As they drove, Joselyn slowly started to process the situation and directed a barrage of questions at Sam, none of which he answered. 

He looked her in the eyes, an expression of intense seriousness painted across his features, “I’ll explain everything soon, I promise. For now, just tell the doctor that a deer jumped into the road and you swerved to avoid it, ok?” 

Not knowing what else to do, she agreed and in a few minutes they pulled up to the medical center. Leah waited in the car, saying something about calling a tow truck, as Sam carried her in, filled out some paperwork, and sat with her as Dr. Stephens examined her. Joselyn did as her cousin had asked and gave him the fake story, which he bought with no question. The doctor diagnosed her with whiplash and instructed her to ice her neck, take pain killers, and rest for the next few days. She managed to walk out on her own and it dawned on her as they drove to Sam’s where she knew Leah; she was the counselor at the secondary school who she had met in passing at the summer teacher training. 

By the time they arrived, Joselyn’s head was pounding and she wanted little more than to go to sleep, but her questions kept her awake. Emily met them at the door, hugged her tightly and, ever the mama bear, ushered her onto the couch where she had ice and Advil waiting. As Jos laid on the couch waiting for the medicine to kick in, she was vaguely aware of a heated conversation being held in the kitchen behind her. But given the pounding in her head, she chose to delay her curiosity in favor of a brief nap. By the time she woke up, it was only a bit darker and a few other people were present in the house, all shirtless young men with the same tattoo on their right shoulder. They didn’t seem to notice she was awake and continued to talk. 

“They managed to divert him into the park.” one of them said, “But Quil’s not sure how long they can hold him back.” 

Were they talking about the man that attacked her? Had they called the police? Why had they told her to lie to the doctor? Distracted by her own thoughts, she missed the next few bits of the conversation, but was then feeling alert enough to sit up and interrupt them. “What’s going on?” she asked in a low, sleepy voice, but it was loud enough apparently to draw the attention of the whole group. 

Emily rushed to her side, “How are you feeling Jos?” she purposely changed the subject, “Do you need more ice?” 

Joselyn signaled no with a wave of her hand. The medicine and rest had done enough to make her feel mostly normal at this point and she was tired of being kept in the dark. “I want to know what's going on.” she demanded, looking pointedly at Sam, “Who was that man? Where did those wolves come from? What..." she had so many questions running through her mind it was difficult to pick a specific one to ask. 

As if by silent agreement, everyone began to vacate the kitchen until only Emily and Sam remained. They both came over and sat down on the couch with her, their usually jovial natures subdued and serious. Sam started by telling her the legend of their tribe. How the Spirit Chief Taha Aki was the first to join with a wolf in order to save his people from Utlapa who tried to use their powers to wage war on the neighboring tribes. The chief emerged victorious, the tribe lived in peace for a few years, and all of his sons inherited the gift of transforming into wolves. Then they had their first interaction with the cold ones, vicious and immortal creatures that were once human who now survived off the blood of others. Ever since then, only when the tribe was threatened by these enemies did young men acquire the ability to shift. 

Sam finished the story and looked to Joselyn, “Do you understand why I tell you this?” 

Of course she understood, it wasn’t exactly rocket science to connect the dots, but she could scarcely wrap her mind around the fact that her cousin, her boyfriend, and the men outside could all change at will into giant beasts. 

She felt a hand rest gently on her knee and turned to Emily, “It’s a lot to take in I know. When Sam first told me I said he was crazy, but it's the world we live in Joselyn, and there’s more.” she gestured for her husband to continue

“While originally it was only men who inherited the gene, Leah shifted unexpectedly a few years ago. And since you’re a descendant of the Uley line..."

Joselyn knew where he was leading, “You’re saying that I’m a wolf?!” 

He shook his head, “Most likely not since Jacob has imprinted on you and no imprint has ever had the ability. But your children will be.”

Emily jumped in to clarify, “Imprinting is basically finding your soulmate, all of the wolves have one and when they first lay eyes on her, they instantly know that she’s the one for them.” she glanced lovingly at Sam, “In our case, Sam was dating Leah when we met, but as soon as he saw me he knew that we were meant to be.” 

Joselyn’s mind was reeling. Soulmates? Shapeshifting? If she hadn’t been sitting down she likely would have passed out, or at least fallen over.

The two let her sit in silence for a few minutes as she worked to process everything they had told her. Giant wolves she dealt with fairly quickly, but it was imprinting that she couldn’t wrap her mind around. Was that why she felt such a deep bond with Jacob? Did he even truly love her or was it just the imprint forcing him to do so? She looked beseechingly at Emily and voiced her concerns, eyes welling with worry. 

“Oh honey.” the older woman wrapped her in a hug as the tears began to spill, “Of course he loves you, the imprint doesn’t force love upon either of you. It’s more like...it speeds the process along. You can sense one another even when you aren’t together. You’re connected, always.” 

Jos sniffed, wiping her eyes. She knew deep down that Jacob did love her just as much as she loved him, but it was overwhelming to know that they hadn’t just met by happenstance. They were  _ destined _ to be together, they were made for each other in every way. A few questions remained, but truly all she needed in that moment was her imprint to be the one holding and comforting her. 

“I want Jake.” she whispered. Now that she was aware of their bond, she realized how alone she felt without him, how her soul called out to him. Her cousin and his wife were unusually silent following her request, so much so that Joselyn sat up to see them with pained looks on their faces, neither meeting her gaze. 

Jos felt her heart sink, they were keeping something from her, “What’s wrong?” she questioned them. 

Still no answer. She began to panic in earnest, what were they hiding from her? Was he missing? Hurt? Or god forbid was he...dead? Even the thought made her want to throw up, he had to be ok. She would make him ok, if only they would stop being so damn secretive.

“Where’s Jacob?” she shouted with no regard for their child who was probably asleep or the people probably eavesdropping outside, “I need to see him!” 

Finally, Sam spoke, placing his hand on her shoulder, “Joselyn it’s not that simple.” 

She scoffed, wrenching away from him and leaping up off the couch, her own health be damned, “I’m his mate aren’t I? I have a right to know what’s wrong with him.” 

He stood up with her, “He’s hurt, but it’s best you don’t go to him now he’s..." she didn’t care what else he had to say, if Jacob was hurt she was going to him with or without their help. She ran for the door, making it outside and barely off the porch before she was held back.

“Let me go!” she shrieked as hands caught hold of her and prevented her from taking so much as another step. “He needs me! I have to find him!”

Joselyn was crying in earnest now, desperate to get to him at all costs. Now that she knew about the imprint, she understood what Emily meant about sensing him, his emotions were nestled alongside her own. His pain crashed into her, stunning her enough that the man holding her was able to pull her back several feet onto the porch. She could tell Jake was wounded, but she also knew that he was looking for her, as frantic to find her as she was him. 

Through her fury she saw Sam in front of her, “You can’t see him right now. When he realized you were in danger he went berserk. His emotions have trapped him in his wolf form; he could easily kill you.” 

Vaguely, she registered the hurt in his eyes as he tried to rationalize with her, but he didn’t get it, none of them did. “He would never hurt me!” she snarled at him, “I can feel him, he needs me. Please, please let me go to him.” 

“Jos..." whatever he was about to say was interrupted by a howl. Everyone turned sharply to see two men, the one from the garage and another she didn’t recognize, sprint towards them from the woods. They were both bruised and bloody in a few places, not too seriously it seemed, but enough to cause concern. 

The second man with wild, curly hair huffed as he tried to catch his breath and speak at the same time, “We held him off as long as we could, but he’s gone  _ crazy _ man. He felt her fear and won’t stop until he sees she’s safe.” 

The front desk man, who she remembered was called Embry, nodded in agreement, “We made it here first since he's injured, but you all need to leave, he’s not thinking clearly...he practically ripped Quil’s head off.” 

They started strategizing, determining who would stay to calm down Jacob and who would be in charge of taking her home. She continued to fight as she was dragged towards a waiting car by Seth, who had introduced himself and apologized for manhandling her. At the moment, she didn’t give a shit if he was her own mother, she had to see Jake and he was the one keeping her from him. Her opportunity came when, sooner than anyone had expected, a russet wolf burst into the clearing of Sam and Emily’s house, snarling at anyone who came close to him. 

It startled Seth enough that she was able to wiggle out from his grasp and sprint across the lawn towards the beast that she knew was her soulmate. 

“Jacob!” she called, wanting to draw his attention away from the others who had also shifted in preparation for a fight. 

At the sound of her voice, his ears pricked and he turned immediately towards her. His eyes locked with hers and she knew that it was him, knew that he would never do anything to hurt her. But before she could get to him, a large black wolf tackled him to the ground. The two wrestled for several minutes before separating, barking and circling one another. Joselyn knew that Jacob wasn’t thinking rationally and if he hurt a member of his pack he would never forgive himself, so she did the stupidest thing she could think of. She leapt right between them. 

The black wolf came close to swiping her head with its paw, but quickly maneuvered to avoid her. The other wolves closed in around them, ready to intervene at the first sign of trouble. She saw none of that. Her attention was devoted completely to the creature in front of her who had ceased all signs of aggression as soon as she was near. Jos walked towards him, closing the gap between them in only a few seconds. Reaching out hesitantly, she put her hands on his muzzle, smiling as her wolf relaxed even further, laying down on the ground before her. She knelt with him, her arms wrapped around as much of his neck as she could manage and her face buried in his soft fur. 

“Jacob,” she whispered, her heart overflowing as she held him to her, “you need to change back, you’re hurt and they can’t help you like this.” 

He let out a low whine, adrenaline and worry coursing to her through their bond. He stayed like this for  _ her _ , he wanted to protect her and this was the best way he knew how. Her tears returned in full force as she tried to reassure him, “You did protect me, I’m safe now, see? Not even a scratch.” 

But he still refused to return to his human form, growling low in his throat as a few of the others came a little too close for his liking. 

“Please,” she pleaded with him, “you have to shift. I know everything now, about the imprint and the pack, but it doesn’t change  _ anything _ .”

She sniffed, trying to project love and calm to him even though she knew she was a wreck, “You know what I wished for, the night we saw the shooting star? To spend the rest of my life with you. And I still want that, I love you with everything I am, wolf and all.” more tears leaked down her face, “But I need you to come back to me. Please,  _ please _ just come back to me.” 

When seconds passed and it seemed her pleas went unanswered, she could do nothing but cling to him and sob, afraid that he was too far gone for her to reach. So consumed in her grief, she didn’t notice his transformation until she felt his human arms pull her into his lap, her head automatically coming to rest on his neck. She could feel him shake against her, his own tears mixing with hers as they clutched at one another, unwilling to be parted. Filled with relief, Joselyn couldn’t help but press kisses to every part of her that she could reach, starting with his shoulder and making her way up. He responded enthusiastically, their lips frantically meeting in an effort to assure themselves that they were both alive and well. Their reunion likely would have carried on to much more intimately if not for the presence of the pack and Jacob’s injuries which she discovered while trailing her hand down his back. 

He hissed in pain, causing her to remove her hand quickly, “Oh my god!” she gasped as she leaned back to take stock of his body, “You need help, come on, up you go.” 

Careful of his injuries, she helped him to stand and with his arm around her shoulders, they began to make their way into the house. One of the wolves, now back in human form, came along the other side of him, helping to ease some of her boyfriend’s weight off of her. The rest of the pack looked on with something close to awe, but her only concern at that moment was getting Jacob checked out. Seeing as he was too tall to lay on the couch, Emily directed them to set him down on a blanket on the floor, with Joselyn seated with his head in her lap. 

Given the woman’s calm and steady manner, it was clear this was not the first time she had patched up one of the shapeshifters. Joselyn was not nearly so calm. His whole body was littered with bruises and cuts, the majority shallow but a few were worryingly deep. 

Sensing her tension through the bond, he brought his hand up to her cheek, which drew her attention down to him. “It’s alright.” he promised, brushing a few stray drops from her cheeks, “I heal fast.” 

She nodded, kissing his palm and holding it in place. They sat in silence as Emily sewed, bandaged, and cleaned him up, Jake bearing all of it stoically. When she had finished, they managed to get him some clothes and sit him up on the couch as the rest of the pack gathered around. 

“I chased him to the edge of our territory.” he explained, knowing that everyone was anxious to know what happened, “but I lost him after that, I was just so..." Jos planted a kiss on his cheek, understanding that it was his concern for her that drove him to return to the res without killing the vampire. 

One of the men she didn’t know, more a boy really, asked what they all were thinking, “So what do we do now?” 

They all turned to Jake, who let out a long breath, “Tomorrow we’ll head out to see if we can track him but I don’t think there’s much more we can do tonight. We’ll increase patrols, one a day, until we figure out what this bastard wants.” 

A general murmur of agreement followed his declaration and Jos could sense that they were all exhausted. “Umm what about me?” she inquired, “My car’s busted and I have work tomorrow.” 

Leah answered her, “We already had a tow truck to bring your car to the garage, and I called you out of work for the next two days. Figured you’d want time to rest and process all of this.” 

Joselyn gave her a weary smile, “Thank you, it’s been a hell of a day for sure.” A few people chuckled at her attempt to lighten the mood, “Would one of you be able to drive Jacob and I back to my place?” 

Seth immediately volunteered and in just a few short minutes, had dropped them off at the front of the house with a promise that someone would be close by if they needed help. They thanked him and waved as his car disappeared down the road. Finally alone, the two looked at each other, waves of emotion and questions surging between them, but nothing that couldn’t wait. At the moment, they had far more pressing needs.


	6. Imprints

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter did NOT want to be written and now I have no idea why. We get a little heavy here and add in some of the angst that I promised ;) See end notes for some important clarifications. Please enjoy! 
> 
> As always I do NOT own Stephenie Meyer's characters, the Quileute reservation or tribe, or Twilight.

Emotionally exhausted by the events of the last hour, Joselyn trudged into her house, hitting the light and taking off her shoes. Jacob, who truly was a miraculously fast healer, walked in without assistance and followed her in, in her entryway in nothing but the shorts that he had borrowed from her cousin. They stood there looking at each other for some time. She had dozens of questions that she was aching to ask. Who was the vampire who attacked her? Were there others? When did he start changing into a wolf? But at that moment, the only thing she could think of was Jacob and how much she longed to kiss him, to reassure herself that he was alive and safe. 

She felt a rush of love come back to her through their mental link. Knowing he felt the same, she nearly knocked him over with the force of her embrace, throwing her arms around his neck and attaching her lips firmly to his. He responded instantly, lifting her legs around his waist and meeting her kisses with the same passion. Under different circumstances, she would have been delighted to stay in his embrace all day, but she was desperate to be as close to him as she could be. 

Unwinding her legs from his waist, she pulled him further into the house. With the growing strength of their bond, there was no need for words; he knew exactly what she wanted. They stumbled into the bedroom, unwilling to release their hold on one another for even such a short journey. Joselyn giggled as he frantically tore at her clothes, undressing her and dropping kisses along each newly exposed piece of skin. She loved his gentle ministrations, truly she did, but had little patience for them which she communicated by undoing his shorts and ridding him of his boxers. When they were both completely bare, he laid her down on the bed and planted himself between her legs, sucking and licking her like she was water and he was a dying man. 

“Oh Jacob!” she moaned aloud, intoxicated by the feelings he invoked from her as well as his own arousal and desire to bring her pleasure that flooded into her mind. With her encouragement he redoubled his efforts, content to stay in that position for as long as she allowed him. She came quicker than she ever had in her life; he knew exactly how to make her fall apart and she loved it, but she was growing impatient. 

Jos pushed him off of her so that she could run over to her dresser and pull out a condom. When she returned he was seated on the edge of the bed, eyes burning with desire and his cock already hard. She knelt before him and brought her empty hand up to stroke him slowly. He groaned, falling back on the bed, hands gripping the sheets as she had her way with him. While she had been with a few men before, giving oral sex wasn’t something that had particularly appealed to her, but with Jake she wanted to make him feel as good as he made her feel. Besides, there was something seductive and tempting about having a powerful shapeshifter completely at her mercy. 

After teasing him with her mouth for a few minutes more, she slipped the condom onto his hard length and climbed onto the bed with him, lavishing affection on him as she moved up his body to his lips. 

“Take me.” she pleaded in her mind as they kissed fiercely, “I want you inside of me.” 

He growled, a sound that sent shivers through her, and flipped them over suddenly so that he hovered above her. She wrapped her legs around him, urging him on, as he entered her with a forceful thrust, easily sinking into her wet cunt. They both moaned as he continued to move inside of her, setting a hard and fast pace that they both craved. Joselyn let him take control, enjoying how his toned body moved above her and occupied herself with leaving as many bruises as she could along his neck and chest, claiming him as her own. She sensed a similar possessiveness from Jacob, a strong desire to not only please his mate but mark her as his, to keep all danger from her. 

Neither of them lasted long, with her body still sensitive from his earlier ministrations it wasn’t long before she came around him, clutching him to her as she rode out her orgasm. It was a combination of her tightness around him and her moans of pleasure that brought him to completion soon after her. He cried out her name and laid spent on top of her. Although he was much larger than she was, Jos felt safe and warm underneath him, stroking his head and nuzzling his chest as they came down from their high. 

They were both reluctant to move and only did so when their bodies demanded it. She took the first turn in the bathroom, cleaning herself up and putting on her robe before he took a turn, pulling on his boxers before getting back in bed. After they laid together on their sides, eyes locked and sharing telepathically the intense emotions of that day. 

“When I felt you were in danger, I’ve never been so afraid in my life.” he confessed to her. 

“They told me you were hurt and I couldn’t think of anything else.” she shuddered, showing him the way that she had tried to run out of Sam’s house. 

“I thought I’d lost you.” they thought simultaneously, chuckling aloud through the tears that had appeared in both their eyes. 

Joselyn pulled his left arm over her and shuffled backwards into him until they were spooning comfortably, entwined together. 

He laid his head in the crook of her neck, “I will  _ never _ let anyone hurt you.” he vowed, trembling slightly with the force of his emotions. 

She nodded, burying herself deeper against him, “I know.” she answered, “I’ll protect you too.” 

Worn out emotionally and physically, they drifted off. Neither of them had ever slept so soundly than they did that night and when they woke hours later, they weren’t inclined to leave the comfort of bed so quickly. Instead, Jacob patiently and thoroughly and answered every question she had about the wolves and his shifting; she was fascinated to learn that this was the largest pack to ever exist on the res and was unsurprised when he told her that he was the Alpha. 

“What do you mean ‘of course’?” he questioned when she said it was obvious. 

Joselyn answered teasingly, “Well you are quite bossy.” 

He retaliated by pinning her to the bed and tickling her until she rescinded her previous statement. Having lightened the mood significantly, they chatted about game night and she asked for details on the pack, who she would be meeting officially later today. When they had first woken up, Jake had sent out a text asking them to assemble at Sam’s at four to try and hunt down the vampire from yesterday. In addition, he invited any imprints who were currently on the res to come as well so that Joselyn could meet them. She was touched by the seemingly small gesture; obviously he understood the enormity of what she had just learned and wanted to offer her a support system of other women who had gone through the same thing. 

When their stomachs protested around twelve thirty, they decided it was high time they left bed. Jacob insisted on preparing the food himself, and having lived on his own for a few years he was not a half bad chef. He presented his mate with a lovely omelette, a side of bacon, and coffee while for himself made four sunny side up eggs, an entire  _ plate _ of bacon, and orange juice. His presence filled her home with joy, she could scarcely remember a breakfast where she laughed as much as she did that morning. Once they had eaten, Joselyn decided to shower as neither of them had the energy for one last night and he suggested they ‘conserve water’ and shower together. One thing led to another and they left the bathroom quite satisfied almost forty-five minutes later. 

Since Leah had called her out of work for the week, there was no immediate lesson planning to do and they still had time before the meeting, so she decided to continue her painting. She thought he would be bored just sitting and watching her work, but he was fascinated by her process; how she could turn simple paints into works of art. It was quite domestic, but there was something so natural about it that she hadn’t expected. Eventually their idealistic bubble burst when the clock struck 3:45 and Embry came by to take them to Sam’s. They got in the car and the three chatted happily for the short ride. 

“If you're the Alpha Jacob,” she wondered aloud, “why does everyone always meet at Sam’s?” 

He shrugged, “Well since Sam was the first to phase and the first Alpha, it just became tradition that we meet there. Besides he lives the farthest from town out of all of us which makes it easier to shift without anyone seeing.” 

Embry chimed in, “And Emily makes the  _ best _ cookies!”

They all laughed as they pulled up to the house where multiple cars were already parked. Joselyn gulped nervously, this would be her first time officially meeting everyone and she wanted to make a good impression. 

Jacob squeezed her hand encouragingly as they stepped out of the truck, “They’re all going to love you, I promise.” 

She kissed him on the cheek and walked into the house. While it was a nice enough day out, Sam had pointed out that with a rogue vampire on the loose, it would probably be best if the imprints stayed inside. So they had brought in some chairs from the paito and moved the coffee table out of the way to make space. When they entered, she was swarmed by several large men, each of whom took their turn introducing themselves and giving her an enthusiastic hug. Although it was overwhelming, Jos loved it. Here was the large family that she had always craved, and she was already beginning to feel at home with them. 

After a few minutes of this, Jacob rounded the wolves up and instructed them to move outside to begin their hunt. Sam was going to stay back and guard the res while the rest of them searched further north for the vampires. Before they left, Jos tugged her boyfriend off to the side and gave him a tight hug, “Promise you’ll be careful ok?” 

He dropped a kiss on the side of her head, “As long as I know you’re safe I’ll be fine, but yes I won’t go running headfirst into any danger if I can help it.” 

She nodded, satisfied, and wiped a few traitorous tears from her cheeks as he reluctantly pulled away from her and went outside. An arm wrapped around her to bring her gently into the living room. “Oh honey, the first time you see your man off on patrol is always hard, but Jake’s a strong leader, they’ll all be fine.” Emily reassured her. 

The rest of the women assembled murmured their agreement as Jos sat down in the chair that they had saved for her. Although she knew Emily and Leah, the rest of the imprints were strangers to her, but she quickly realized that the bond between them was just as strong as the one between their partners. They all chatted amicably and began to get to know one another. Joselyn was excited to learn that she had quite a bit in common with Seth’s girlfriend River who was an art historian who specialized in native art. Always looking for new lesson plans, Jos convinced her to come visit her class one day which she readily accepted. In addition, she spent a long time talking with Kim, Paul’s fianceé, about her work as a wildlife researcher; she knew of the most picturesque places on the res which Joselyn was eager to paint. 

Two hours or so passed and the pack still had yet to return, so the women decided to order pizza for themselves and several extra boxes for their partners to eat upon their return. Since she was sitting closest to the door, Joselyn offered to get up when it rang about forty-five minutes later. She tipped the young man who dropped the food off, took the boxes from him, and returned to the living room where plates and napkins had already been distributed. Dinner was a lively affair as Brooke, who had been playing on the floor earlier, was now working to get a piece of someone’s pizza. Once everyone had eaten and the baby was put down to bed, Emily broke out the wine and the women turned to their newest member. 

“You have to tell us how you met Jake!” pleaded River who had only heard a few details from Seth. 

Smiling shyly, Joselyn recounted the story of their chance meeting, which everyone found very romantic, and their short courtship that had culminated in the attack and reveal the day before. 

Emily in particular was stunned at how she had leapt between Sam and Jacob. Having been accidentally wounded by Sam at the beginning of their relationship, the matriarch of the pack knew first hand how volatile wolves could get when they felt threatened. It was a sobering story, one that wasn’t told often, and led the other women to sharing their own first encounters with their partners’ secret. 

Being Jacob’s sister and the daughter of the current chief, Rachel had always known of the existence of shapeshifters on the res. But it had been a shock to her when she imprinted on her younger brother’s friend Paul. The two had very strong personalities and had a slow start to their relationship which now, after a few years of marriage, was stronger than ever. 

Similarly to Embry and his imprint Amanda, River met Seth during their first year at Peninsula College. She had always been very mature for her age and took Seth’s confession of his shapeshifting very well, especially after only dating for a month. She had a year left at school and Seth had two, so they had decided that she would stay on as a graduate assistant during his last year so as not to be apart. 

Kim had a crush on Jared for most of her youth and was pleasantly surprised when, after his first time shifting, he finally noticed her and reciprocated her feelings. They had gone off to Evergreen State College together and after graduation moved to Forks. Having grown up on the res, it had been an easy decision to return home, but Atka and Leah had a more difficult time. 

Having met at school, the two women fell in love very quickly, but were at odds over where to settle down. As an editor, Atka could hypothetically work anywhere but had grown up in the city and was reluctant to leave it behind for a quiet life on the res. Leah on the other hand knew she had to return to La Push for several reasons. Firstly she didn’t want to abandon her mother, who lived alone after the death of her father. Secondly, her credentials as a psychologist enabled her to give back to her community in a way that was sorely needed and that she herself lacked as a youth. Finally as a wolf, Leah had a commitment to the pack that was not easily escapable; sure one day she could choose to stop shifting and live somewhere else, but for the foreseeable future her place was on the res. 

“We had a lot of long talks,” Atka said, finishing her story, “but eventually we realized that moving here was what we needed to do. Besides, we’re close enough to Port Angeles that I can make her take me out to a nice show or dinner whenever I want.” 

Joselyn was puzzled, “So you gave it up just like that?” she asked the older woman, “You had a job lined up, you loved the city, and you still left?” 

Atka shrugged, “Relationships are all about give and take, in this case it was my turn to give.” 

Would she give up her home to be with Jacob? Well she essentially had by moving here from Arizona, but that had been for her, not for a relationship. This was his home and was quickly becoming hers, so she didn’t foresee any troubles there. They would move in together eventually, but she didn’t have any sentimental attachment to her house and would be happy as long as she had a place for an easel. 

It was then that Rachel chimed in, “Ugh, I can’t begin to tell you how many times Paul’s fought me about my business trips.” 

“He won’t let you go?” Josleyn cried. 

Her basically sister-in-law rolled her eyes, “Oh I went to all of them, but he didn’t talk to me for  _ days _ beforehand. He’s so overprotective sometimes it’s ridiculous.” 

Would Jacob ever do that to her? Obviously neither of them enjoyed being apart, but she could never imagine giving up her teaching. It wasn’t like she was gone for days either, he was at the garage during the same hours so it made sense. As for not talking to her, she could scarcely imagine that. They had only known each other for a few days yet she felt like she could tell him anything; they had an easy intimacy that she cherished. 

River hummed in agreement, “They all are! I remember a few months after Seth and I moved in together he freaked out when I came home from getting a haircut. He couldn’t stand that another man had touched me and was about to run out the door and fight him.” They all laughed, except for Jos. 

“So what did you do?” she asked, dismayed at the light hearted tone of the story. 

“I started going to a new stylist. Honestly the first guy wasn’t even that great and definitely wasn’t worth an argument every few months.” 

What if that happened to them? Would Jacob try to fight a random teacher if he sat next to her at lunch or offered her a dollar for the vending machine? He was protective of her for sure, that much she already knew about him, but possessiveness of that level was something Jos wouldn’t stand for. She was her own person and could defend herself, well except for against an immortal vampire, but that wasn’t the point. Joselyn knew what it was like to have a toxic boyfriend. During her second year of college she dated Todd for a few months and realized towards the end how he had tried to cut her off from friends and family and monopolize her time. After a nasty fight about a party she wanted to go to, she dumped him and never looked back. Her independence was something she treasured and wouldn’t give up for anyone.

Kim reached for the bottle and topped herself off, refiling Rachel and Atka’s glasses while she was at it. “For Jared and I it really started after we had sex for the first time. The next morning we went to school and he punched Logan Sage, my lab partner, for saying that he liked my earrings.” 

She and Jacob had sex a few times already, but he hadn’t changed. Or had he? She wasn’t paying super close attention when they first arrived, but she did recall a feeling of tenseness from him as she hugged each of the pack members. Was he jealous of them? 

“There was one time that Leah and I were out to dinner and the waiter winked at me,” Atka said, “and she went ballistic, threatening to call his manager and whatever and after I said, ‘Babe, you remember I’m gay right?” 

Joselyn couldn’t believe what she was hearing, did they consider those things normal? To her it sounded like every relationship red flag her mother had taught her about. “That’s not healthy!” she exclaimed, causing all of them to turn towards her, “Your partner shouldn’t control what you do or who you see, you shouldn’t have to change for anyone!” 

Emily reached to put a hand on Joselyn’s shoulder but she shrugged the other woman off, “Honey I know it doesn’t seem right from an outside perspective, but you have to understand that being a wolf...well it..." she signed, gathering her thoughts, “there are things, animal instincts, that they can’t control.” 

“It all comes from a place of love.” contributed Rachel, “They don’t do it to manipulate or control you, but it's hardwired into them to protect what’s theirs.” 

“Oh so now I belong to him?” Joselyn cried, jumping up from her seat, “Because that’s  _ not _ what I signed up for.” 

River, who she could already tell was the peacemaker of the group, tried to jump in, “No, no it’s not like that. But when you join the pack, it’s part of what makes us so close. Like Rachel said, he would never do anything purposefully to hurt you.” 

“What, you’re saying that a small tap did that to Emily?” Joselyn accused, ignoring the gasps of shock that came from her bluntness, “I don’t know about you all, but I’m not going to change myself for anyone, imprint or no. What should I quit teaching because I have male students? And what about doctors, huh? Would he watch me bleed out before letting another man treat me?” 

Her outburst was met with a cacophony from the other imprints, all trying to defend or justify the behaviors they had so offhandedly mentioned. Joselyn’s mind was racing, she couldn’t process any of what they were saying and had begun to feel trapped; she gathered up her things and started for the exit. “I’m sorry I just need some time, I need to think about if this is what I want.” 

She stormed out the door only to run straight into a warm chest: Jacob. He looked down at her, alarmed, “Joselyn what’s wrong?” he asked, sniffing the air around her, “And why do you smell like that? Was there another man here?” 

That was the final straw for her. Pushing past him, she continued down the steps, ignoring his protests until he stopped in front of her, gripping her shoulders to keep her from moving. 

“Darling what’s wrong?” he coaxed. 

“What’s wrong?” she repeated, “I’m not going to be someone different for you and I’m not going to let you go around telling me how to live my life.” she was barely aware of the tears that were leaking out of her eyes, “And if you think that just because you love me that you can control me, you’re dead wrong!” 

She was sobbing in earnest now, too angry to really understand what she was saying, “I was fine before you Jacob Black and I’ll be fine without you!”

He stared at her in shock, hurt written plainly across his face. She pulled out of his grip and marched towards the first car she saw. “Seth take me home.” she demanded, getting into the passenger seat as the young man, looking worriedly back at his leader, got into the car. 

They drove away, silent except for the gasps and sobs that Joselyn fought to contain. She was a wreck. She was angry and hurt and confused and miserable. All of it made worse by the absolute agony she felt from Jacob through the bond, so she forced it closed, shutting herself off from him until she could figure out what was going on in her mind, what she wanted. She whispered a quick ‘thank you’ to Seth before heading straight for her bed, curling up with the pillow that still smelled like Jacob and crying into it. Utterly at a loss for what to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so now that I can write without spoiling things, I want to talk a bit about how I am writing Jake. 
> 
> As we saw in the Twilight movies, although he loves Bella he does exhibit some behaviors that I would call unhealthy, like kissing her without permission and threatening to kill himself unless she kisses him. In my world, he has done a lot of self reflection to get over these behaviors, but I still see it as a part of the imprint system. Given the animalistic nature of the wolves and the nature of imprinting, it stands to reason that they would take the protection of their mates VERY seriously, but personally I think there is a way to do that without being toxic. 
> 
> A healthy masculinity, in my mind, does have those characteristics of protectiveness and devotion, but in a way that uplifts their partner instead of trying to restrict them. That's why I write Jake as being very touchy and very communicative, he does all these things to stay close to Joselyn while trying not to stifle her. Of course he still is working on being a more supportive partner so this is what I want to explore here. 
> 
> Also it is A LOT to take in when you find out your boyfriend of 2 days can turn into a werewolf, has a fiercely protective streak, and you meet like 20 other people that are now your extended family. So I also wanted to make sure that I give Joselyn her deserved moment of freakout before they could live happily ever after. 
> 
> Wow that was a long note, please leave me a comment about what you think of my take and/or if you disagree with my philosophy. I LOVE hearing from yall :)


	7. Growing Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 400 hits?!!??!!! I am so honored by how many of y'all enjoy this fic! These last few weeks have been a little hectic, so thanks for being patient while I get this chapter out. We are moving into some dramatic action for the next few chapters, but as I have it planned right now, there should only be a handful of chapters left! Thank you so much for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy! :) 
> 
> As always I do NOT own Stephenie Meyer's characters, the Quileute reservation or tribe, or Twilight.

The next morning Joselyn woke up with a horrible headache, the kind that thrums in the back of your mind all day that never seems to go away even with Advil and ice. It was her own fault she knew, after leaving Sam’s she had cried herself to sleep, waking up to find herself still curled around the pillow Jacob had used the night before. Even though according to her clock she had slept for almost 12 hours, her body ached and her eyes drooped. 

“Coffee would solve this.” she reasoned. So she made her way wearily into the kitchen and started the coffee maker. Pouring herself a cup a few minutes later, she sat down at the table and finally turned her phone back on. There were several missed calls from Sam, Emily, Alex, and Milly. No one else. The latter two had followed up with texts, asking why she hadn’t been at school the last few days and threatening to break into her house unless she sent signs of life. Jos chuckled softly, responding in their group that yes she was alive and that she would be out until Monday due to a car crash. It wasn’t totally a lie, just not all of the truth, and truly it wasn’t even her secret to tell.

Ugh, now she was thinking about him again. Taking another sip of her scalding coffee, she scrolled through the messages that her cousin and his wife had sent. Both were worried about her and Emily was incredibly apologetic and wanted to meet up and talk, but that was the last thing Joselyn wanted to do. She was an independent woman, dammit, so why did this whole situation make her want to crawl into a ball and sob? Jacob was just a man, a stupid, pocessive, funny, loving, frustrating, handsome, presumptuous man. After hearing what the other imprints had to say, was this something she truly wanted to be a part of? 

The last twenty-four hours would have been unbelievable if she hadn’t lived through them, but where did it leave her? She downed her coffee, didn’t bother to wash the cup, and plopped down on the couch to continue her mental spiral more comfortably. Where to even begin? The start of the week felt like a fairy tale only to change to a nightmare a few days later. The prince of her dreams had fallen into her life, but underneath it he was a beast. 

“Or was he?” she stopped to consider. If he was truly an animal with no human emotions, he would have killed her without hesitation the other night. But he didn’t. He spared her, protected her, and came back to her when she so desperately needed him. That was rare even within the pack, look at Emily! Sam loved his mate more than life itself, but if it could happen to them who was to say it couldn't happen to her and Jacob? 

Then there was the matter of the imprints had said. When Joselyn had arrived at Sam’s yesterday, there was an atmosphere of warmth and family that she had always craved; sitting down in the living room with them she could imagine the rest of her life just like that, surrounded by a family bound by more than blood. All that aside, she couldn’t shake the apprehension she felt when listening to them talk about their partners. Although none of the situations were outright abusive, they were ones that would have made her uncomfortable for sure. Giving up career opportunities? Dealing with that kind of territorial nonsense? Is that what would be asked of her if she stayed with Jacob? 

At the heart of everything, that was the question she wrestled with. Did she  _ want _ to stay with Jacob? She loved him, there was no doubt in her mind about that, but what would she be sacrificing to be with him? Her independence? Her career? Her privacy? As much as the bond had been a wonderful and intimate experience so far, how long would it take until she was tired of him hearing her every thought? After leaving she had closed it off on her side, but was that permanent? 

_ Ringgggg! Ringgggg! _

The sound of her phone startled her so much that she rolled off the couch and hit the floor. She scrambled up to see that she had an incoming call from her mom. Her first instinct was to let it ring, but she was tired and alone and confused, and who better to cry to then her mother? With the lack of family close by and the absence of her father, Joselyn and her mom Ellen were incredibly close. While she didn’t tell her mother  _ everything _ there was no one better suited to giving advice. 

Joselyn remembered the day in middle school when her first ‘boyfriend’ had broken up with her; that day her mom told her the ‘Three Rules of Romance’. The first was to look for a man who respected all of you (mind, body, spirit, etc) and never asked that you change for him. The next criteria was someone who didn’t just fit in your life, but enriched it and made you feel like a better person because of their love. Her final rule seemed silly back then, but in this moment finally clicked. She had told her daughter that she should be with someone when he cooked her breakfast. Cooking, in her mother’s eyes, was an intimate act of selflessness and devotion; it showed that one’s partner cared enough to be there the next morning and moreover, that he wanted to stick around even after that. 

Jacob certainly fit the last rule, and the second one as well, but did he respect her independence? Did he understand her desire to remain her own person even in a committed relationship? It was something only he could answer, and since she wasn’t ready to talk to him yet her mom was the next best option. 

She took a deep breath to calm herself before answering, “Hi mama.” 

“Oh Joselyn it’s so good to hear from you! How are you honey? How’s your week been?” Ellen inquired excitedly. 

Hearing her mom’s voice was the straw that broke the camel’s back and opened the waterworks again. Through snot and tears, she told her mom about the events of that week: her chance meeting with Jacob, their dates, saying ‘I love you’, the attack, finding out about his powers, and their fight. The older woman was silent for much of the call, only adding small interjections here and there to show she was listening. 

“And I just don’t know what to do!” Joselyn finished her story with this cry for help. Sniffling, she paused and awaited her mother’s sage advice. 

There were a few moments of silence as Ellen collected her thoughts, “Honey I don’t understand,” she began, “what’s there to do? It seems like that boy really loves you.” 

Her mom had missed the point, “I  _ know _ he loves me, but is that enough? What if something happens to us like the other imprints? What if he snaps and attacks me by accident?” All the worse case scenarios swirled around her mind in an angry tornado of doubt. 

Ellen sighed, “I don’t know Jacob, but from what you’ve told me he’s completely devoted to you. As for the other side of him...I imagine it’s unique for each person, but I don’t see what’s so wrong with having a protective partner. Wolves are territorial and pack oriented animals, they defend their family with their lives. So maybe they overreact sometimes, but with time and communication, I think it’s an obstacle that can be overcome.”

Was it as easy as her mom suggested? “But what about the first ‘Rule of Romance’? How can I be sure he’ll respect my independence?” 

“That’s something you’ll have to ask him.” 

With the heaviest conversation topic out of the way, the two women chatted for a while longer about their daily lives and jobs. Ellen wanted to hear about all the mischief the students got up to and Joselyn loved to listen to the gossip from back in Arizona. Just before they hung up, her mom offered her a last piece of advice, “Take some time for yourself before you talk to him; it's been an emotional rollercoaster of a week. So take a shower, eat something, and maybe paint, then go over and talk to him with a clear head.” 

Josleyn smiled, talking with her mom always made everything seem so much clearer. Then, as per her mother's advice, she took the time to shower, change clothes, and cook a better meal than coffee before sitting down at her easel. She was finished with the forest/two lovers piece and felt compelled to begin a new project. Taking out a new canvas, she let her mind focus on what she would say to Jacob and her pencil sketch on its own. There was so much she wanted to say: how she loved him, how she wanted to be part of the pack, how it scared her to be dependent on others. She wanted to tell him that she had needed time to sort through her feelings, she never wanted to hurt him. 

Lost in her musings, she looked up after a few minutes to see what she drew. The image featured two subjects, a woman and a wolf, who stood facing one another in a dome of light that shielded them from the rain. While the details weren’t abundantly clear yet, the subconscious message was clear. Jos meant what she said to him in his wolf form; she wanted nothing more than to spend her life with him. 

Her worries vanished suddenly and she leapt up, threw off her apron, and ran towards the front door as she dialed Sam’s number. She barely stepped onto her porch when a figure appeared from the woods to the right of her house. He approached cautiously, but with a determined stride. Jos hung up the phone just as her cousin answered and rushed to meet Jacob as he stopped at the bottom of her stairs. Although their bond was still closed, she could tell that the last eighteen or so hours had been just as hellish as hers had been. His characteristic grin was replaced with a hard frown and his eyes, usually full of life, had deep bags under them and were red rimmed from crying. 

“Do you want to sit?” she offered, gesturing to the porch steps. He nodded silently and sat down on the side farthest from her. Taking the cue that he wasn’t ready to be too close to her, she sat on the other side of the steps. 

“I’m so sorry.” she said, letting out a shuddering breath, “Last night I was...it felt...I just was so overwhelmed by everything and I took that out on you.” her eyes began to water, but she pressed on, “The other imprints were talking about how their mates are so overprotective of them and I couldn’t imagine giving up my independence like that. For so long it was just my mom and I and I’ve never been good at trusting other people...I...I was afraid.” 

Jos realized her poor choice of words and quickly backtracked, “Not of you,  _ never _ of you just of...just what it means to be with someone, like really and completely with someone. Intimacy with you is so natural and I thought...I worried that it was too easy, that I’d be asked to give something up, give part of  _ me _ up eventually.” She let out a shaky sigh, “And I never saw what a real couple looked like as a kid, so part of me still worries that..." 

By now she had worked herself up into a frenzy and there was no stopping the tears that came with her ramblings, “That you’d leave me and all of this was just too good to be true or that we would get in a huge fight and never speak again, and after I said those horrible things I was sure you wouldn’t want to see me again and..."

Jacob cut her off by practically diving across the steps and pulling her into a tight hug. She felt his tears sink into her hair as he cried with her, both of them overcome with the things they wanted to say to one another. He released her after only a few moments, his brow furrowed in concentration, so she waited for him to say what was clearly weighing on his mind. 

“I told you before about the girl I was in love with, Bella, and how things didn’t go well..." he put his head in his hands, “She didn’t love me, she just wanted someone to be with until her boyfriend came back, but even after she told me that I just couldn’t let her go. I kissed her because I thought I could convince her to stay with me, and when she chose him I threatened to kill myself unless she kissed me. I’m not proud of any of it, I behaved horribly, I tried to control her and force her into things she didn’t want.” 

He finally looked back up at her, his eyes remorseful and scared, “Joselyn I swear I will,  _ never _ do that to you. I’ll never make you do something you don’t want or ask you to be anyone but yourself. And I’m so, so sorry if you thought that the wolf thing would..." he leaned back, letting out a frustrated groan, “I don’t even know how it all works, I’m the last one of the pack to find an imprint so I was just so thrilled when I found you that maybe...maybe I moved to fast?”

The silence returned, suspenseful as his question hung heavy in the air between them. They had both laid their hearts on the table, so where did they go from here? After hearing him open up to her about such a vulnerable subject, Joselyn was more sure than ever about what she wanted. 

Turning to him, she reached her hand out in between them, “Jacob I love you. Sure it’s moved fast, and of course we’ll fight occasionally, but I want that. I want to fight with you, laugh with you, make love to you, I want  _ you _ . If you’ll still have me..."

He stared at her, speechless, so she opened her bond back up and let her love flow into him. He grasped her hand, planting kisses on each knuckle and moving up her arm. With each one, he repeated her words back to her, “I love you, I love you, I  _ love _ you..."

Joselyn was overjoyed and allowed him to make his way up her shoulder, passed her neck, and finally to her lips. She pulled him closer, clutching his back as his hands buried themselves in her hair. Her mind was racing as his emotions swept back into her, the anguish he felt when she left Sam’s, the exhaustion from guarding her house all night, and the utter relief at their reunion. She couldn’t help but laugh, she was so happy she felt she might explode. Jacob chuckled with her and dramatically picked her up off the porch and swung her in circles. 

“Jacob!” she squealed, dizzy from the spinning and the intensity of their confessions. Finally he set her down, still embracing her gently with one arm while the other caressed her cheek. 

“You’re so beautiful.” he whispered, leaning his forehead against hers. 

Joselyn breathed him in, content beyond words, “So are you.” she replied, looking at him with a certain glint in her eye, “Maybe we should take this inside?” 

His answer was to pick her up once again, cradling her bridal style and carrying her into the house. 

* * *

After almost twenty-four hours of hell, there was nowhere in the world Jacob would have rather been than naked in bed with Joselyn. When she stormed off on Thursday night, it hadn’t taken long to piece together what had happened. The other imprints were all wonderful and he loved them like sisters, but their stories had set Joselyn off. And who could blame her? Her life had been turned upside down in a matter of days and now she was suddenly confronted with the messiness of dating a shapeshifting werewolf. Logically, he understood all this, but in the moment he couldn’t help but think, “She doesn’t love me, she doesn’t love me..." 

Somehow he managed to keep himself from a full blown panic attack and directed his energy instead to dealing with the vampire threat. He sent Leah and Paul off on another patrol and told everyone else to go home and rest. Sam had tried to talk to him, but he didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to talk to anyone except her, but that obviously wasn’t an option. So instead he stood watch outside of her house, not close enough to invade her privacy, but he would be damned if he let anyone hurt her, even if she didn’t love him. 

The memory of that sadness sent a shiver through him which prompted Joselyn to snuggle deeper into his side. He hummed happily, stroking her back as they lay together, completely spent. After confiding in one another, he took her inside and they made love. They took the time to acquaint themselves with each others’ bodies and bring each other as much pleasure as possible. Jacob in particular had found great joy in seeing what spots on her body made her moan, which made her toes curl, and which made her scream. In return, she ravished his neck with love bites, all of which he would wear with pride, and then took him in her mouth until he came. 

All that being said, neither of them felt inclined to leave the comfort of her bed any time soon, so they stayed entwined together enjoying the afterglow. Their conversation earlier had covered most of what they wanted to say, but there were a few lingering worries that they shared now. For Joselyn, it was about maintaining her independence within their relationship and within the pack family. Jacob’s worry stemmed from finding a balance between protecting her and smothering her. Laying together, they talked through these doubts and felt all the stronger for it; their relationship was new and they had both been single for years so it was no shock that there would be a period of adjustment and likely more fights in the future. But their love was worth it,  _ she _ was worth it to him, and they would tackle these issues together. 

When both of them had gotten everything off their chests, they reluctantly got out of bed to make themselves dinner. Thankfully, Joselyn had gone shopping the other day and had everything she needed to make pasta and garlic bread. He helped as much as she let him, but she insisted on doing most of it herself citing the fact that he had made her breakfast the other day and now it was her turn. Over the meal they stuck to lighter topics, both too emotionally worn out to even begin to think about the looming threat of vampires. Afterwards, they cuddled on the couch to watch a movie. It was a new one that neither of them had seen about a fierce female warrior who joins the army to save her father, and while it was a fantastic movie, by the end they were much more absorbed in one another. 

They made out on the couch for several minutes before the events of the past few days caught up with them and they decided to turn in for the night. Both were reluctant to be parted, so she offered to let him stay the night which he instantly accepted. Exhausted, they fell into a dreamless sleep and woke up late the next morning, again with little desire to leave bed in a rush, but around 11 they were roused by a knock at the door which Jos got up to receive. She was gone for several minutes before he started to get worried. “What if it’s a trap?” he thought to himself, “Or she hit her head and is laying on the floor?” Sufficiently paranoid, he decided to put on his boxers and walked out to investigate. 

“Oh Jacob, how  _ funny _ seeing you here!” 

He blushed a deep red as he was greeted by none other than Alex and Milly, Jos’ two best friends from school, who were standing in the living room. From the smirks on their faces, he was sure that he and Joselyn would be the subject of school gossip next week, and he grew very self-conscious as he realized he was barely dressed. 

Sensing his embarrassment, his girlfriend passed him a blanket from the couch which he wrapped around himself. “Milly and Alex were just stopping by to check on me and bring me some ‘get well soon’ cards that my students wrote.” she smiled back at them, “But they’re leaving now, right?” 

The two laughed, “Alright, alright.” said Milly, “We can sense when we’re not wanted, but you are telling us  _ everything _ on Monday.” 

Jos shuffled them out the door, promising to provide some details when she saw them in a few days. Jacob waved awkwardly as they left, blushing again at the pointed thumbs up that Alex sent him. The two sighed in relief when the car pulled down the driveway and Joselyn giggled at his flushed expression. 

“Oh darling you should see your face! I’m sorry to say you’ve given them quite a lot to gossip about, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole res knew you were here by the end of the day.”

He rolled his eyes at her amusement and, dropping the blanket, came over to wrap her in his arms. Through the bond, he confessed to her that he had worried when she was gone so long; the fear of possibly losing her haunted him still. 

She responded by holding him tight to her and kissing his cheek, “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think...but that’s all behind us now. The important part is that we’re together.” 

While he couldn’t let it go completely, he knew that she was right; they would never heal if he continued to hold onto the negativity of the past. He knew he would never stop trying to protect her, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t enjoy the present moment of peace. In all honesty, he could hardly remember the last time he spent a day so happy. Since they were both already up, it made sense to go ahead and eat a late breakfast and get on with their day. After polishing off some toast and fruit, Jos forced him to take a shower while she got to work on grading the spelling tests that the teachers had also dropped off. 

By the time he got out, she was settled on the floor with piles of papers surrounding her. It was her ‘system’ she claimed and he was very careful to avoid disrupting it as he sat down on the couch behind her. He figured that if she was going to be productive, he should be too, so he pulled out his phone and set to answering some emails that had come into the shop. The majority were receipts for parts which he had ordered, a handful were requests for restorations that he accepted and scheduled, and the rest were bills which he marked for Embry. 

When Joselyn finished her grading, she stood up and stretched, exposing a tantalizing strip of skin between the waistband of her shorts and her t-shirt. He gulped as she noticed his staring and came to sit on his lap, running her fingers up his still bare chest. “Now that we’ve gotten rid of my friends, does that mean I have you all to myself this weekend?” she asked, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders as he caressed her hips. 

As much as he loved these teasing games, he did actually have something to mention to her, “Well almost, but I was going to see if you wanted to go to Sam and Emily’s tonight? We have a weekly pack dinner and I know you fought with the imprints the other day but I know they all feel horrible and want to apologize. And I want to introduce you to my dad.” 

Her eyes widened and a smile came across her face, “Oh Jacob I would love to! And I know they meant well, we actually had a wonderful time together.” 

With their plans set, they continued their lazy afternoon, or at least for Jake it was lazy. Jos wanted to get a head start on some of her lesson plans so he just relaxed and drifted between watching TV and observing her as she worked. Eventually, his attention wandered to other parts of the house and he caught sight of her art corner. He walked over and admired the finished paintings that she had leaned against the wall; one or two featured desert scenes from what he assumed was Arizona, but the others were all of the Pacific Northwest. She really was an incredible artist, her attention to detail was spectacular and her each piece had a life-like quality to it that drew the viewer in. 

On her easel was an unfinished work that, upon closer inspection, took his breath away. “Is this us?” he asked, causing her to look over up from where she was seated at the table. 

Now it was her who blushed, “It is, I was just sketching aimlessly before you came over and that’s what came of it.” 

“It's incredible.” he said, in awe that such a spectacular woman had chosen him of all people. 

She frowned at him, feeling his self-deprecation, and marched over to him, taking his face in her hands, “Remember what we talked about? Neither of us will ever be happy if we keep putting ourselves down like this. It doesn’t matter if you ‘deserve me’ or not, what matters is we chose each other and we love each other.” 

She knew him too well, and she was right. He leaned into her embrace and kissed her forehead, “You’re right love, and I’ll try, I promise.” 

Satisfied, she released him with a gentle kiss and glanced at the clock, “It’s almost 5, what time does dinner usually start?”

“Whenever people get there, but she usually starts putting food out around 6.” he responded, “I should probably go home to change first."

Joselyn laughed and went looking for her phone, “Probably for the best, this view is for my eyes only. Give me fifteen minutes to get ready when we can go?”

He nodded and sat back on the couch to wait for her. Exactly seventeen minutes later, she emerged from her bedroom in a short blue romper. It was a v-neck that offered him a tantalizing view of her cleavage and she had added a wide, brown braided belt which accentuated her waist. She finished the look with some white sandals, a few bracelets, and the same dark brown lipstick she had worn on their first date.

She did a little twirl, “What do you think?” 

His answer was to take hold of her waist and kiss, dipping her slightly. She responded with just as much passion, parting only when they were both out of breath. 

“So you like it then?” 

Jake trailed kisses down her collar bone, sucking gently at her neck in the spot that he knew made her weak in the knees. She moaned and indulged him for a few minutes before gently pressing her hands against his chest, “Jacob we need to go.”

Although he was reluctant, he knew she was right, again, so he released her and took her hand in his as they made their way outside. 

Joselyn looked around quizzically, “Um in case you forgot, my car is totaled. How are we getting to your place?” 

He smiled at her, “Well I was going to offer you a piggyback ride.” 

Her eyes widened as she realized what he meant, “You mean in wolf form?” 

“Are you alright with that?” even though they had talked through their insecurities earlier, he hadn’t thought to check if she was comfortable seeing him in that way. 

She kissed him on the cheek before taking a few steps back, “I trust you with my life Jacob, besides this sounds  _ way _ better than a motorcycle.” 

Laughing, he took a deep breath and allowed his body to shift. It wasn’t a hard process after years of practice, but from her gasp he could tell that for her it was still a novelty. When he was fully transformed, he walked over to her and laid down on the ground, letting her climb up onto his back before taking off into the woods. Her screams worried him at first, but when he felt her joy he knew they were cries of excitement, not fear. In no time they arrived at his house where he rushed inside to change into some jean shorts and a green tank top. 

“You know that tank top does nothing to cover up the hickies I gave you earlier.” she said coyly. 

He smirked, leaning down to lick the bite he had made on her earlier that day, “I know, I want to show them off.” 

She scoffed good naturedly, “Such a territorial man.” 

Now that they were at his house, they were able to hop in his Rabbit and drive the rest of the way to Sam’s, arriving a little before six. There were a few cars already there, notably his dad’s, Embry’s, and Paul’s. He could tell that Joselyn was nervous, not just about meeting his dad, but also about her outburst on Thursday. 

He rubbed his thumb along her hand as they walked towards the fire pit, “No one thinks less of you for what happened, they all just feel bad for being insensitive. I promise, it will all be ok.” 

Instead of a verbal reply, she squeezed his hand in hers and projected her feelings of safety and contentment at being surrounded by his, their, family. The first person to greet them was, obviously, Emily who acknowledged Jake quickly before turning her full attention to Joselyn. The two women hugged for a long time, whispering something that he carefully didn’t listen to before pulling apart. After that they greeted Sam and Brooke (who was thrilled to see Jos again), Paul and Rachel (who also apologized profusely), and Embry and his girlfriend Amanda who Joselyn hadn’t met yet. More people began to arrive and it was sometime before the couple was able to make their way over to where Billy was chatting with Sue. The older woman greeted the newest imprint warmly before excusing herself to talk with her children. 

“Dad, this is Joselyn Garcia.” Jacob said, “Joselyn, this is my dad, Billy.” 

Although he had been careful to hide it from her, Jake was a little nervous about introducing his mate to his father. Not that he didn’t think they would get along, but it felt like such a serious step that he couldn’t help but overthink it. It was clear he had nothing to worry about as the two hit it off immediately, embracing warmly before entering into an enthusiastic conversation about tribal politics and the upcoming budgetary hearing for the school. 

The night wore on and Jake felt like he was on cloud nine; as he predicted, the imprints all apologized profusely to Joselyn and welcomed her warmly into their midst. She also got along exceedingly well with the other wolves, entertaining them with stories of the distant lands of Arizona and accepting every strange challenge that Jared and Seth concocted for her. In those moments, he could see their future: years of these dinners with the pack as their own little family grew. The thought of Joselyn, glowing with pregnancy, and of the beautiful children they would make warmed him to his core and brought tears to his eyes. This was his life,  _ she _ was his life, and nothing could ruin this moment. 

That was until Quil came barreling into the yard with horrific news, “Two more people were found dead this morning on First Beach, they’re coming closer.” 

No one had to ask who ‘they’ were. 

  
  



	8. The Calm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovely readers! Apologies for the long wait, my semester has just started and things are WILD as you can imagine with COVID and everything on top of a full schedule and 2 jobs. But enough about me, you're here for romance am I right? ;) I only have two or three chapters left (depending on how I decide to divide it up) plus some fluffy epilogue scenes I have in mind. I can't believe we're at over 600 hits, from the bottom of my heart thank you all so much for sticking with the story and leaving such wonderful comments and kudos. Please keep 'em coming! :) With that done, enjoy!!!
> 
> As always I do NOT own Stephenie Meyer's characters, the Quileute reservation or tribe, or Twilight.

With Quil’s announcement hanging heavy in the air, Jacob’s Alpha instincts flared as he frantically tried to come up with a plan. His mind raced until he felt Joselyn take his hand in hers, squeezing it comfortingly as she sent him thoughts of support. Strengthened by her love, he asked that all those present who were not in the pack move inside. With the younger children and imprints out of harm's way, he started issuing orders. 

“Sam, I want you to head down to First Beach and keep an eye on the bodies. Leah and Quil, stay here with the imprints and make sure everyone is safe. The rest of you, we’re going hunting.” 

With a series of cacophonous howls, the pack shifted and ran off to their separate positions. Jake led the majority of them down towards the beach where they caught the scent of vampires heading east. They followed the smell, searching all the while for other signs of destruction or death. When hunting vampires, you never knew what you might find; their scent was easily distinguished, but it was impossible to tell how many there were from smell alone. They could be running straight into another vampire army or it could be only one or two rouges. 

Regardless, this was a blatant declaration of war that had to be dealt with swiftly and severely; Jake refused to allow anyone else to be hurt on his watch. They spent most of the night chasing them down with no success as the vampires had a substantial lead on them and seemed to be running in indistinguishable patterns just to throw them off. By the time the pack realized that, they were halfway to the Idaho border and decided that there was nothing more they could do that night. So they returned, dejected and frustrated, to the res. 

Those that had stayed behind rejoined them at Sam’s and reported nothing out of the ordinary. The younger imprints (Claire, Robin and Grace) had been dropped back at home by Leah early in the night but the rest of the women were there when they returned. Emily and Rachel had stayed up and were watching whatever was on at 3am when the pack returned. They greeted their husbands warmly as the rest of the wolves went in search of their own mates who were sleeping in various places around the house. 

When he didn’t find Joselyn in the living room Jake ventured further into the house, and having no success in the main bedroom, he quietly peeked in the nursery. There, curled up in the rocking chair with Brooke was his imprint, fast asleep. It was a sight that melted his heart and reminded him what he was fighting for; it was for her, for the future that they were dreaming of and building together. Tip-toeing over to the sleeping pair, he lifted the baby out of Jos’ arms and placed her in the crib before gently waking his girlfriend. 

“Joselyn.” he whispered, “Wake up, we’re going home now love.”

She gasped, coming awake suddenly upon seeing him there. “Jacob!” she cried softly, jumping up from the chair and wrapping him in a tight hug.

He breathed her in, a scent much sweeter than the one he had been after all night, and felt instantly at peace. She let him hold her for several moments longer, sensing through their link that she was all he needed. Eventually, Jake knew they would have to get out of Sam and Emily’s hair, so he wrapped his arm around her waist and they crept back out to the living room where everyone remained, awaiting his orders. 

Rubbing his face with his free hand, he caught the imprints up to speed, “We couldn’t catch them, they were way ahead of us and were just leading us on a wild goose chase. The last thing I want to do is leave the res unprotected, so we’ll expand our patrol radius for now until we have more intel. I’ll stay on watch, anyone else up for an all nighter?” 

Seth raised his hand immediately and after settling the rotation for the rest of the week, everyone began to depart. Jacob and Joselyn walked all the way to his car before she asked, “Are you taking me home?” 

Remembering their earlier conversations about honoring her independence he sighed, “I can, but I’ll worry about you being alone. I know River is staying the night with Atka and Leah, so you could pick up some stuff from home and sleep there?” 

He could feel her mind whirring as she considered his offer. She appreciated his openness with his own emotions but also how he left her the option to choose. 

“In all honesty I don’t want to be alone tonight either, and if I can’t be with you I suppose they’re the next best thing.” 

Jake released a breath he didn’t know he was holding, “Thank you.”

She convinced him to let her drive and they sat quietly, each contemplating the implications that this new threat would have on their lives for the foreseeable future. Having gotten together a week ago and now recovering from their first fight, the vampires were just another ridiculous obstacle that they would overcome. Together. As decided, Joselyn gathered a few necessities at her house before allowing Jacob to leave her at Atka and Leah’s small house in the middle of town. 

He got out of the car to see her off and they shared a final, tender embrace before he ran left. They had decided on the way over that he would leave his car with her in case she needed to go anywhere. By now it was nearing 4am so it was unlikely she would have to, but he knew she would feel better with some semblance of independence. 

Luckily, he and Seth had an uneventful patrol, but it unnerved the Alpha all the same. What game were these vampires playing? Did they have a goal in all this? And when would they strike again? By the time the two made it back to Atka’s, it was nearing 8am and they were absolutely exhausted. This time when he walked in, Joselyn was awake to greet him; she and the other women were drinking coffee and having a simple breakfast of cereal. From the concern on her face, he looked nearly as awful as he felt, and she didn’t hesitate to pack up her things, thank her hosts, and practically drag him into the car.

From there, she drove them back to his place and let him lean on her as they made their way inside. She dropped their things unceremoniously by the door and continued to pull him up the stairs to the master bathroom. This room was one of the first that he renovated upon buying the house; it was a luxurious room with skylights for natural light, a clawfoot tub, and a large shower complete with both a rain shower head and a regular shower head as well as a built in bench. Jake was barely keeping himself awake, but he managed to follow Jos’ instructions to get undressed and get in the shower. 

He did so without complaint, moving sluggishly and clumsily without giving much attention to his surroundings. This is why he was broken out of his haze in surprise when Joselyn stepped into the shower with him, equally naked. 

“Don’t get any ideas.” she scolded him, sensing his excitement, “I’m gross too and you are clearly in no state to do this yourself.” 

Disappointed as he was, he knew she had a point. So he made no complaints when she sat him down on the bench and platonically bathed him. It was one of the most soothing things he had ever experienced, the feeling of her hands on his body, usually quite arousing, was today nothing short of blissful given the day he had had. He let out a deep sigh as she stepped between his legs to wash his hair, her hands moving firmly but gently across his scalp. Taking advantage of their position, he wrapped his arms around her waist loosely and laid his head on her breast. He could have fallen asleep right there, but she soon finished with him and ordered him out of the shower. 

She dried him with the same tenderness as earlier and guided him to bed, tucking the sheets around him and kissing his forehead. When she pulled away, he grabbed her arm, “No! Stay...please?” He knew that her day, while not as physical as his, had been taxing as well and she was sure to be tired. Besides, he found that these days he didn’t sleep nearly as well without her with him. 

For a moment she argued with him, her emotions still running rampant from their hectic day, but she relented when he projected his feelings of warmth and coziness to her. Now snuggled together in his bed, Jacob could almost forget the circumstances which brought them here. 

“When this is all over”, he thought, “I’ll ask her to move in with me.” The hope for a lifetime of mornings exactly like this one were what finally lulled him into a deep, and much needed sleep. 

He slept undisturbed for several hours before a pounding woke him suddenly. Glancing to his right, he was thankful that Joselyn remained asleep, curled into his side. Perhaps he had dreamt it? But then it came again. 

_ Bang bang bang! _

Now more awake, he registered the noise as someone knocking on his door and, if smell was anything to go by, it was Paul. Slipping out of bed carefully, as to not disturb his mate, and pulling on a pair of boxers, the Alpha made his way swiftly downstairs. Had the morning patrols found something? Was it even still morning? 

“Shh!” he greeted his pack brother, “What’s so damn important that you’re banging on my door this early?”

Paul raised an eyebrow at him incredulously, “Dude, you do know that it's almost one right?” 

Looking more closely outside, Jake now saw that the sun was high in the sky, clearly afternoon. Paul smirked at his face and presented him with a large bag, “Rach figured that you would be too tired to make yourself anything to eat, so she threw together some lunch for you and Jos.” 

As soon as food was mentioned, Jacob’s stomach loudly agreed that it was past time that he ate. Chuckling wearily, he accepted the bag and waved as his brother-in-law drove off to deliver more food to Seth, who was also likely to not have eaten. He brought the bag into the kitchen to examine it closely and was delighted to find a full feast. His sister had thrown together a random assortment of foods that she knew he liked: two tupperwares of pasta, fruit salad, three grilled cheese sandwiches, and half a dozen cookies. 

After heating up what needed to be heated in the microwave, he balanced it all onto a baking tray, along with a cup of coffee, and made his way upstairs. Easing the door to his bedroom open with his foot, he smiled at Joselyn’s still sleeping form buried under the blankets. Even in the dead of Arizona summer, she said that she was always cold at night and that proved to be true. The few times that they had spent the night together, she had wound herself up in the blankets and curled into the unusual warmth of his body. It was a silly quirk about her that no one else knew, and he loved it. 

Setting down the tray on the bedside table, he crawled into bed and started planting kisses on the skin he could see, an ankle here, a shoulder there, until she slowly came awake and returned his caresses. She turned over onto her back and, having freed a leg from the mountain of covers she had created, wrapped it around his waist to pull him into her body. He accepted the new position happily, squeezing her ass and slipping his tongue into her mouth. Their kisses would have likely led to something more if her stomach didn’t growl loudly. 

She laughed, brushing the hair out of her face and sitting up, “Do I smell food?”

He leaned over to pick up the tray and set it at the foot of the bed, “I bring you a feast m’lady.” 

Immediately she dove for the coffee and they began to eat in silence, both realizing now just how hungry they were. Once all of the food had been polished off, they laid back down together, stomachs sated. 

“Where did all that food come from?” Joselyn asked him, “You didn’t make all that this morning did you?” 

He shook his head, “Definitely not, Paul stopped by about thirty minutes ago to drop off some food that Rachel made for us.” 

Humming in acknowledgement, she laid her head above his heart and soothingly rubbed her hands along his shoulder as he clutched her waist, holding her close to him. Although they were silent, Jake could feel her anxiety, “What’s wrong?” he whispered, hesitant to break the spell of calm that had come over them. 

She let out a shaky sigh, “What are we going to do Jacob?” 

He craned his neck up to look down at her and saw her eyes brimming with tears. He knew she wasn’t just asking about their plans for that day, but about the impending war that was closing in on them. It was a question that had haunted him since the night he found her helpless in the hands of the enemy. And it was one that he still hadn’t found a good answer for. 

“We’ll catch him, and anyone else he’s working with.” cupping her cheek, he gently directed her gaze to his, “But I promise you Joselyn, I’ll protect you.” 

For an indefinite amount of time, they stared at each other, emotions flying back and forth across their bond. He was as scared as she was, petrified even, at the idea of anyone else being hurt. Especially her. She was still new to this world and feared for his safety more than her own; she didn’t want to see him hurt again or worse. Even though they weren’t talking in the traditional sense, they both felt better for having opened up to one another and were overcome with a frenzied desire to have one another. It was as if they were relishing the joy of being safe and alive and daring anyone to separate them.

By the time they had worn themselves out again, it was nearly 3pm. Given that Jos had work the next day and Jacob had a reservation to defend, they both felt obligated to leave bed. Making a few calls, he made sure that Leah would be able to drive his girlfriend to work the next day and that Brady could take her to Forks for a new car right after school. Sadly he was unable to stay with her for the rest of the day as he wanted to check in with the rest of the pack in person, so they hopped in his rabbit and made the quick journey back to her house. He walked her to the door, prolonging the inevitable moment where he would have to leave her for at least the rest of the day, if not the next few. 

Feeling his hesitation, she embraced him tightly one last time, “It’s going to be ok,” she assured him, “Our pack is strong and I know you’ll do everything you can to keep us safe.” 

He nodded into her neck, suddenly too overwhelmed for words.  _ Our pack _ , she said. She was his family, his home, his whole world, just as he was hers. Torn between duty and heart, the former eventually won out and he released himself from her arms. Walking back to his car, he knew in that moment that there was  _ nothing _ he wouldn’t do to protect their future together. 

* * *

The following week was easily the most stressful of her life. Waiting everyday for updates from Jacob or another member of the pack was absolutely draining and on top of it, no one else knew what was going on. They went about their days without a care in the world, which given the fact that they didn’t know that there were blood thirsty vampires roaming around, made sense. But it didn’t make it any easier to go to work everyday and pretend for her students and peers that there wasn’t anything wrong. 

On the plus side, the circumstances had given her an excellent chance to continue to get to know the members of the pack. It was Jacob’s order that whenever possible, imprints were to be accompanied by a pack member for their protection. This led to several afternoons spent at one another’s houses, sharing their feelings of unease and distracting themselves with more lighthearted topics. All the while, she couldn’t shake the premonition that the other shoe had yet to drop, that there was something more in the works, but she had no clue what it was. 

The worst part of it all was that she didn’t see Jacob for almost the entire week. He was frantic according to the other wolves, always either on patrol himself or coordinating with the others. He sent her at least one text a day, usually nothing long, a quick ‘I love you’ so that she knew he was alive. He was so intense that by Friday, the pack staged an intervention to force him to spend the day at home and resting. They had, of course, let her in on the coup and she had a whole plan ready. 

The first step was luring Jacob home on Friday afternoon; one of the boys had volunteered to do this by some means and that is when she would spring her trap. It started with a home cooked meal of steak and potatoes, already on the table when he arrived. Convincing him to stay and eat wouldn’t be too difficult, Embry said he hadn’t been eating much, but getting him to sleep was the true challenge. 

That’s why Joselyn had broken out the big guns: lingerie. It was an impulse buy she made years ago with some girlfriends in college; her roommate wanted something sexy for her anniversary and convinced Jos to tag along. The store was having a sale at the time and the lacy, sheer babydoll was too cheap to pass up. It wound around her neck in a halter top style with a deep ‘v’ neckline dropped to just above her belly button and cascaded around her waist in a sort of skirt that barely covered the matching black panties underneath. 

Combined with some bright red lipstick and a few sultry looks, she knew that she would have Jacob in bed with her all night long. However, that was step two, so to cover up her surprise she tossed on an old, loose fitting dress. Jos had started cooking almost as soon as she got to his house after school in the used Mazda 3 that she bought a few days ago. The timing worked out perfectly, the food was on the table and she barely finished getting dressed when a truck rumbled outside. As per their plan, she waited inside for him to enter, although it was likely that he could smell her already. 

When he walked in the door, she saw exactly what the wolves had meant when they said Jake had been pushing himself. There was a noticeable weariness in the way he walked and his face looked drawn and serious, like he hadn’t smiled in days. That changed immediately upon seeing her. His face lit up with the grin she loved so much and swept her up in his arms. They were like magnets, attracted instinctively to one another and impossible to pull apart; she could feel his exhaustion, both emotional and physical, through their bond and she wanted nothing more than to ease his worries. Which was exactly the plan. 

An unknown amount of time, and kisses, later he sniffed the air, “Have you been cooking?” he asked. 

“Well I thought since your kitchen was so much bigger than mine I’d come over and make myself some dinner..." she teased, turning to show him the elaborate spread she had on the table. 

He chuckled, already looking more relaxed, “You’re an absolute angel, you know that right?” 

Her only answer was to drag him into the dining room and force him into a chair. For a long while they were silent, Jacob ravenously consuming all the food in front of him and Joselyn quietly preparing her next move. When the food was nearly gone, she tried to take a sip of her wine and ‘accidentally’ spilled it all down the front of her dress. 

Her boyfriend stood up to find her a towel, but she waved him off, “Don’t worry, it’s old anyway, I’ll just toss it in the wash..."

Keeping her eyes on him, she slowly pulled the dress over her head to reveal what she wore underneath. His jaw literally dropped as he drank in her form, she could sense the lust rolling off him in waves. It had been nearly a week since they had last made love, far too long in her opinion. 

“Joselyn...you...I...what?" speechless, he could do little but gape as she walked towards him, dancing her hands up his arms and around his neck. 

Bluntness was one of her strong suits, and it came in handy here, “Jacob, I want you to take me upstairs and fuck me until I can’t feel my legs.” 

With a groan, his lips met hers in a blaze of fiery passion. He was as eager as she was and he wasted no time throwing her over his shoulder and racing them upstairs. When they arrived in his bedroom, he dropped her gently onto the floor and kissed her again desperately. She wound her hands through his hair, tugging sharply in the way she knew made him weak in the knees. His Alpha instincts weren’t yet quieted and he continued trying to take control, but that wasn’t part of the plan. So she walked him back towards the bed until the back of his knees met the mattress. 

He sat down obediently, mouth open to ask a question, but she silenced him with a finger on his lips, “It's my turn to take care of you tonight.” 

Jacob wasn’t submissive by any means, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t wildly turned on by his mate having her way with him. She yanked his shirt over his head and knelt in front of him to rid him of his shorts and boxers, dropping kisses along his muscled thighs. He trembled, fighting to control his desire for her as she moved up towards his dick. Joselyn started with a few teasing licks before engulfing him suddenly in her mouth. 

“Oh fuck!” he shouted, thrusting his hips unconsciously into her face. But she didn’t mind, he was enjoying himself and that was the goal. She attributed her sudden talent for giving head to their mating bond; after making love a few times her body instinctively knew what he wanted, how to please him. And please him she did. 

It didn’t take long until his hands grasped her hair, trying to bring her face off his crotch, “Oh shit Joselyn, stop, I’m...I’m about to..."

A well placed tongue on his slit was all it took before he came in her mouth. Not big on swallowing, she released him from her mouth with a ‘pop’ as he continued to cum on her chest and neck. 

They were both breathing heavily, but far from done. Joselyn looked down at herself and giggled, “I suppose  _ this _ outfit will have to go in the wash too.” 

Deftly undoing the ties that kept her babydoll in place, she cleaned herself up quickly and crawled onto the bed with her boyfriend, who was still dazed from his orgasm. As she kissed her way up his chest, he came alive once more, flipping them over suddenly and lavishing her hard nipples with attention. Her pussy was already soaking wet from the anticipation of this night and their foreplay, but she knew he would need a few minutes to be ready again. 

In the time Joselyn had spent with the imprints that week, she gained some valuable information. Namely that given their high metabolic rates and sublime physical condition, wolves had incredibly fast refractory periods, often of 20 minutes or less. So she knew it was only a matter of time before he was hard for her again. 

In the meantime, they stayed busy reacquainting themselves with one another's bodies, taking the time to explore all the places that drove their mate wild. But as the imprints predicted, it wasn’t long before she could feel Jacob’s hard length pressing up against her stomach. Tearing her lips from his, she tried to speak when he moved his attention to her neck, biting and sucking with such gusto that she knew there would be a hickey there in the morning.    
  
“Jacob,” she moaned, unwinding her body from his to sit up, “condom,  _ now _ .” 

He echoed her urgency, planting a final, bruising kiss on her lips before stumbling to his dresser for a condom. As he did, she repositioned herself on her knees, her forearms bracing the weight of her upper body and allowing her to look back at him while he slipped the condom on his shaft. His eyes were glowing with arousal as he made his way back to her, caressing her backside and plunging into her. They cried out in unison, overcome with the sensations raging through them. Pausing only for a brief minute to allow her to adjust, Jacob soon began pounding into her in the most  _ delicious _ way, barely allowing her time to breathe between gasps of pleasure. 

Having been deprived of one another for the entire week, neither of them lasted particularly long, especially when one of his hands sought out her clit and rubbed it in time with his thrusts. She was gone after that, her body trembling as he fucked her through a mindblowing orgasm, cumming not long after her. He pulled out of her to race to the bathroom for a towel and throw away the condom before returning to bed. 

Dropping kisses along her still shaking thighs he said, “Jesus Joselyn, will you wear that every night?” 

She laughed lazily, gesturing for him to come closer, which he obeyed, and she snuggled deep into his warm chest, “I’ll try and put it on everytime I come over, how’s that?” 

“Joselyn...I wanted to talk about that...", he leaned back to look her in the eyes, “Will you move in with me? I know we talked about moving too fast and, with the vampires and everything, I mean, it’s not great timing but..."

There was no question in her mind, “Of course I will!” 

His smile was a mix of relief and euphoria as he kissed her passionately in response. Much like their first date, they laid awake for a while after, talking about their hope and dreams for the future.  _ Their _ future. Too soon, the exhaustion caught up to them as they fell asleep in each others’ arms. 

However their peace was short lived as only a few hours later, Joselyn was awoken by Jacob leaping out of bed with a predatory growl.

“Darling what is it?” she asked, scanning the room, “What’s going on.” 

He had only slipped his boxers back on and was making his way out of the room without even a glance back at her. Scrambling, she threw on his discarded shirt and her panties before racing after him, calling his name. 

Luckily, she caught up to him in the living room, “Jacob! What’s happening?” 

When he finally looked at her, his eyes were dark with rage, bubbling under the surface of his skin like lava, “He’s here.”

Well that didn’t help. “Who?” she demanded. 

“The vampire who attacked you before, I smell him, he’s close. I’m going to call the pack and chase him, he’s  _ not _ getting away from us this time.” Already he was on the move again, texting rapidly on his phone and pacing.

Eventually, he set it down on the counter and came back to her, cupping her face in his palms. He wiped moisture from her cheeks with his thumbs, her tears. “Promise me.” he whispered, “Promise that you stay here where it’s safe.” 

She nodded, scared partially for herself but more for him, “I promise” she said. They kissed one last time, a kiss full of longing and hope, and he ran out the door and shifted, disappearing into the darkness of the night. 

Joselyn stood shivering in the living room for a few seconds more, at a loss for what to do. 

“Maybe I’ll start with some real clothes.” she thought to herself, beginning to walk back towards the bedroom.

As she reached the stairs, a horrible sense of foreboding came over her, chilling her to her core. And it was only confirmed when an arm appeared out of thin air, restraining her arms at her sides, and a hand came up to grasp her neck. 

“Well, well, look what we have here.” a voice drawled behind her, “A little she-wolf all alone, where’s your mate darlin’?” 

Joselyn couldn’t move, could barely think. Her mind returned to the horrible day only a week prior when she jelt just as helpless. Back then, Jacob had been there to save her, but now he was off on a hunt, likely too far to be much help. 

The vampire chuckled darkly, bringing his lips to her neck and breathing in her ear, “Don’t worry darlin’, I’m sure he’ll come once he’s heard you screamin’.” 

Then everything went black. 


	9. The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hellloooo world! I promised at the start that updates would be random and this is why, senior year is hard enough without a pandemic and with one its a hell of a lot. BUT I will not abandon this story! This is more or less the last real chapter, I have one or two other epilogue style ones planned but yall might have to wait until I finish finals for those. I am so so happy with how this chapter turned out and the story overall, and I can't say how much I appreciate each and every one of of your hits, kudos, and comments. 
> 
> As always I do NOT own Stephenie Meyer's characters, the Quileute reservation or tribe, or Twilight.
> 
> Now the moment you've all been waiting for, and no cliff hangers this time I promise ;)

Jake could feel the moment things went wrong and he knew it would haunt him for the rest of his life. The second he smelled the vampire close to the house, he barely thought about the consequences. All he knew is that the monster who had  _ dared _ come after his mate in broad daylight had shown his face again, and this time he wouldn’t escape. After alerting the pack and bidding a tearful goodbye to Joselyn, he transformed and took off towards the scent. It wasn't long before Quil and Sam, who were on patrol that night, caught up with him. 

While in wolf form, the pack could communicate telepathically and Jacob caught them up to speed. They would run all night if they had to, as long as they caught their prey. The trail was steady for several miles and Jacob felt sure that this would be the night, until a sudden panic overtook him, stunning him so much that his body lurched to a stop, causing him to tumble over his front paws and into a tree. 

_ Joselyn _ . 

Just as clear as the week prior, Jake could feel her fear as she was caught off guard by some unknown enemy. But before he could figure out what had happened, her bond went dark. She wasn’t dead, there would be no consoling him if she was, but she was no longer conscious and thus unable to communicate with him. 

“It was a trap" he realized, scrambling up and taking off back towards home, “They lured us out here and went back for her. Shit! How could I have been so stupid?!” 

Running faster than he ever had in his life, with his pack following concernedly behind him, they arrived back at his house in record time. There were no signs of forced entry, vampires were too damn smart for that, but the scent was all over, nearly making him retch in disgust. He shifted a few feet from the porch and burst into the house, “JOSELYN!”

He called out frantically as he searched each room, finding nothing changed from their evening together. It felt like eons had passed since he came home to her, they ate dinner, they made love. Eons since he held her in his arms and  _ promised _ that he would keep her safe, and he failed. He fucking failed. He failed her and he failed his pack, what kind of wolf couldn't catch a few vampires? When he had gone through every room in the house, he made his way dejectedly back to the living room and used his remaining grains of strength to stop from breaking down into a complete mess. 

Sam’s voice broke through his haze, “Jake, they left a note.” 

His head whipped towards his old Alpha where he stood in the kitchen with Quil, Seth, and Paul, the latter two having arrived moments earlier. Jacob ripped the note from Sam’s hands and read it, his heart sinking more with each line. 

_ Dog _

_ We have your little she-wolf. Come to the Teahwhit Head cove at sunset tomorrow, ready to bargain. She will stay alive as long as you do exactly as we ask.  _

Jacob’s heart stopped. He couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. They had her, those bloodsucking monsters had taken his imprint and now they just expected him to sit around while they did god know what to her? Although he hadn’t bothered to consciously check a clock since he left earlier, he guessed it was around seven in the morning. That meant there were twelve hours until he could go to her. Twelve hours that she was at their mercy. Twelve hours...

“Jake”, Quil interrupted his downward spiral, putting a hand on his shoulder, “It’s gonna be alright, we’ll get her back. We just need to wait..."

Furious, Jacob shoved his brother’s hand from his shoulder, “Wait?! You expect me to wait while my mate is being held by a bunch of bloodsuckers doing who knows what to her?” He turned to look at each of them, “Would you wait if it was Emily? Rachel? River? Claire? Would you  _ wait _ if the other half of your fucking soul was gone and it was all your fault?!” 

Sam shook his head, “You can’t blame yourself, none of us knew this would happen.” 

Having said it outloud, said what they were all thinking, Jake couldn’t hold it in any longer. He collapsed to the ground, shaking with gut wrenching sobs that made him want to throw up. His pack huddled around him, patting his back and offering soothing words, but it wasn’t what he needed. He needed Joselyn, needed her so much he ached and there wasn’t a thing he could do. Realizing that only made him cry harder until he wore himself out, still laying on the hard floor of his kitchen. 

Paul told him that the rest of the pack knew about the incident and had all shifted in preparation for another attack. “But,” he continued, “the only thing you need to do right now is rest. And before you say anything, you know as well as I do that you won’t be any help to Jos if you’re exhausted.” 

Although he hated it, his brother-in-law was right. He would fight for her, there was no question, but he didn’t want to be dead on his feet when he did. Wallowing around his house, waiting for sunset wasn’t a great option either, so he reluctantly made his way to the guest bedroom. There wasn’t much of a chance that he would sleep at all, but it would have been impossible to do so in the bed where he laid with her only hours before. Her scent was all over the house as it was, he couldn’t take another reminder of his broken promise. So he made his way down the hall to the guest room which at the moment housed only a full bed and night stand. After tossing and turning for at least an hour, Jake managed to fall into a restless sleep. 

Surprisingly, his dream was much more pleasant than his current reality. It began in the kitchen of his house; he was at the stove flipping a pancake when he heard a joyful squeal behind him. He turned around just in time to catch a small child as they leapt at him from the ground. “Papa is the food ready  _ noooow _ ?” 

His dream self chuckled patiently and shifted the child to his hip so he could continue to monitor the pancakes with one hand, “Just about Imala. Why don’t you go call everyone else for me? It’s an important big girl mission” 

Excited to have been given the responsibility, Imala bounced back out of the kitchen as quickly as she had entered and returned several minutes later with two more people. With the table set and the food finished, he greeted Joselyn with a loving kiss as she carried Helio.

Jacob reached his arms out to his son and spun him around the kitchen before seating him in his high chair, “Darling, you know the doctor said you shouldn’t be carrying too much weight.” 

His wife waved him off as she lowered herself gingerly into her chair, “I know, I know, but this baby’s due any day now, carrying him won’t hurt me.” 

Without warning, the dream shifted, the once bright and airy kitchen turned dark and cold. The children disappeared without a sound, leaving the two adults alone. 

“They hurt me Jacob” her voice was robotic and emotionless, “Why didn’t you save me? Why did you lie to me?” 

Joselyn screamed then, a sound of such pain and anguish he felt it in his own body, clawing at him from the inside. He woke with a start, his heart racing and tears in his eyes. As his body attempted to calm itself down, he realized that he felt Joselyn’s presence in his mind for the first time since they had been separated earlier. He zeroed in on it, reaching out to her to tell her that he was there and he would find her. 

She responded immediately, conveying to him that she was safe, at least for the moment, and that there were only two vampires holding her. Although she was trying to put on a brave face, the imprint bond didn’t lie and he could feel her fear as clearly as his own. Glancing quickly at his phone, he saw it was only four o’clock, still several hours from sunset, but connecting with her now, he knew that it would be impossible to wait any longer. She needed him, and there was no way in hell he was going to let her down again. 

Unfortunately, a few of the pack members had decided to camp themselves in his living room, and he knew they wouldn’t let him leave early or alone. So as quietly as he could, Jake climbed out of his window and took off running south. He ran the whole way in human form, knowing that if he shifted the pack would come after him, and given that the cove the vampires kept her at was only a few miles away, he was there in no time. 

If the vampires sensed him, there was no indication as Jacob approached the cave that they indicated in the note. It wasn’t well known to most locals, but its secluded location made it an ideal place for pack training, particularly for the new wolves who hadn’t quite mastered their powers yet. Although there was no one to greet him, he knew he was in the right place. His nose burned with the disgusting scent of vampires along with that of Joselyn who, if the imprint bond was anything to go by, was still safe. 

“Where is she?!” he demanded as he charged the mouth of the cave, heedless of his own safety. 

From the shadows emerged a man he hadn’t seen before. Surprisingly short, his long grey hair fell to his shoulders and framed his pale face. His eyes, as Jake had guessed, were the deep red of a vampire who had fed recently, meaning he was likely the one who had killed the hikers a few days earlier. 

Jacob held his ground and repeated his question. The man in front of him laughed, “Well that’s certainly not how my mama raised me to speak to folks, and she certainly didn’t teach me to ignore basic instructions. But I suppose you wolves don’t have no manners do ya?. Name’s Chester. And you?” 

Growling, the Alpha knew that he would have to play along, Chester had all the time in the world, and he didn’t “Jacob.” 

The vampire extended his hand to shake which Jake pointedly ignored and the former eventually dropped, “Seems like you’re all work and no play young man. But I suggest you loosen up if you’d like to see your pretty lil woman come outta here alive.” 

With a snap of his fingers, another figure emerged from the depths of the cave, the man who had first attacked Joselyn. Now that he wasn’t in the midst of battle, Jake had the chance to study him more closely. His features were eerily similar to Chester, with the same pointed nose and prominent chin. Different, however, was the curly red-blonde hair and the towering height, but Jake didn’t spend much time examining him as his attention was immediately pulled to Joselyn. 

He had her in a vice like grip that she struggled passionately against. Her hands had been tied in front of her with a length of rope and she had a cloth gag in her mouth. Though their link he sensed her panic, for both his safety and hers, but no physical injuries aside from some scrapes and bruises. 

Chester gestured to the second man, “I believe you’ve met my son Gordy haven’t you? He’s quite taken with Miss Joselyn here, I’m afraid you’ll have to offer quite a pretty penny to convince him to let her go.” 

Jacob could hear the blood pounding in his ears. His inner wolf desperate to come out and rip the man who held his imprint limb from limb, but he couldn’t risk it, not with Joselyn’s life on the line, “What do you want?” he snapped. 

“Why it’s quite simple,” Chester said, “the Cullen’s had a mighty fine territory here, plenty of space, not too much sun, and oh so many delicious humans to feast on.” He turned towards Jake with a sinister grin, “All you have to give us in exchange for this lovely lady is free reign over the land from Port Angeles to Olympia.” 

His answer came without hesitation, “Never.” he growled, “I won’t stand by while you hurt any more innocent people.” 

“Who says we’re letting you leave alive?” sneered Gordy, “We’s gonna kill you either way, only question is if she walks free or stays with me.” 

He chuckled darkly as he licked Joselyn’s cheek, causing her to fight more fiercely against him, “She smells so damn good I could just eat her up, but I bet she’d be even prettier as one of us, don’t ya think?.” 

Jacob’s mind raced, trying to come up with a solution that would keep them both safe, but as desperate as he was, there seemed to be no way out of the situation. At least if they let Joselyn go, she could warn the pack to expect trouble. They would protect the res, protect her even if he couldn’t. His throat tightened and his heart ached, all the dreams they had for a future together disappeared in an instant. He would never hear her laugh again, never wake up beside her on a lazy Saturday morning, never have children with her and watch them grow, never grow old himself. All he could hope is that Jos would live the life she had always wanted, even if it was with someone else. 

He hardened himself, making peace with his choice, before responding, “I’ll do it. Kill me and spare her.”

* * *

Waking up in a dark cave was most certainly not what Joselyn had expected to be doing after her night with Jacob. Everything had gone perfectly to plan, the dinner was delicious and the sex even better, but the second he had caught the scent of the vampire, things had taken a turn for the worse. She wasn’t angry at him for leaving, far from it. She knew how personally he took the safety of others and knew how much stress he had been under. Her last memories, aside from worrying for him, were of being grabbed in the house and drugged with some kind of chemical soaked cloth. 

Now struggling to sit up, Jos tried to take stock of her situation. There were no immediate injuries that she could feel, thank goodness, but her arms were bound in front of her and she was alone in a cave devoid of light. Taking several deep breaths, she tried to push down the waves of anxiety that threatened to overtake her. Jacob would come for her, she knew he would. The only question was how or if they would make it out unscathed. 

Before she could plot any sort of escape, a voice echoed through the cave, “Well, well, well, looky who’s awake”. 

Joselyn blinked rapidly as two men suddenly appeared before her holding flashlights. Although they were of vastly different heights and hair colors, she could tell by their faces that they were somehow related. And the violently red eyes told her exactly who they were: vampires. 

She couldn't help but tense as the taller one moved towards and gripped her chin, a predatory look in his eyes. “Well ain’t you just as pretty as the last time I saw you.” 

It was then she realized that he had been the vampire to cause her car crash, the one to start this whole mess, to take her from her family, from Jacob. Enraged, she spat at him in disgust, satisfied with herself until his other hand came up and slapped her so hard she fell sideways, falling hard to the cold ground. 

Laying dazed on the ground, she could hear the two men arguing above her. As soon as she had the strength, she sat back up which was a difficult task with her hands bound. But she refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing her vulnerable. She had to be strong until the pack came for her. When she looked up, her assailant had disappeared, leaving her alone with the gray haired man. 

He nodded his head to her, as if he was tipping an invisible hat, “I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure, my name is Chester. Now I understand this ain’t the most ideal of situations,” he knelt down in front of her, his face took on a dark and menacing shadow, “but I don’t recommend pulling another stunt like that. If you want to live to see your wolf that is.” 

With his threat made, he stood back up, brushed off the dirt from his pants, and walked away without another word. 

Left alone again, Joselyn was unable to keep the worry at bay. Jacob and the others would come from her, there was no question, but did they know they were walking into a trap? Unable to focus, it took her a few minutes before she felt the comforting presence of her imprint in her mind. The outpouring of love and worry from him was nearly enough to drive her to tears, but she could feel the panic radiating off him and knew that she had to be strong for them both. After assuring him that she was as alright as could be expected, she relayed to him what little she had gathered about her captors. There were no signs of more than two, but she had no reference for how powerful they were. 

As they communicated, she could sense his anxiety rising until he snapped. Promising her that he would be there within minutes, she felt him sneak out of his house and begin racing towards her. Although she knew that she should be relieved that he was coming to her rescue, she couldn’t shake the feeling that it wouldn’t be simple. 

And of course it wasn’t. What Chester and Gordy were asking was unimaginable, unacceptable was far as she was concerned. Through their bond, she frantically tried to get that across to Jake. Joselyn loved him, loved the life they wanted to start together, but she could never ask him to trade the safety of his tribe for just her. Nor his own life! But her Alpha was selfless to a fault, he would give anything to make sure the people he loved were safe. So she found herself unable to do much more than struggle and sob as Cheater pulled a long jagged knife out of his pocket and held it teasingly against Jacob’s throat. 

“Any last words?” he taunted with a cruel smile. 

Her imprint’s eyes were full of tears as he looked at her, his declarations of love crashing into her as he accepted his own fate. But she couldn’t, she  _ wouldn’t _ allow these bastards to rob them of the happiness they had found together. To reign terror upon more innocent people. From deep within herself she felt a stirring unlike any she had ever known, a primal rage that welled up and exploded from her with an animalistic scream. 

In an instant, she felt herself transformed into a massive wolf. Having fallen to the ground in shock, Gordy stared at her wide eyed as, with no hesitation, she ripped his head off with a solid swipe of her paw. A cry of pain captured her attention as she turned around too late to stop Chester from burying his knife into Jacob’s chest before turning to run. Fully engulfed by her fury, she gave chase, running after him at inhuman speeds as he wove through the forest. Still unused to her new form, she found herself falling further and further behind until from in front of her, she heard a cacophony of howls. 

Somehow the pack had found them and had managed to get ahead of the vampire, effectively and viciously ending him just as she caught up. She watched with grim satisfaction as they tore into his body with their massive jaws, leaving no possibility of survival. With her adrenaline fading and exhaustion setting in, Joselyn shifted back into a human just as quickly as she had a wolf. Collapsing to the ground, she felt familiar arms pick her up and heard their owner shouting at her “Jos! Joselyn can you hear me?” 

Turning towards the sound of the voice, she found herself looking into the face of her cousin. Barely conscious, she could think of only one person “Jacob! Where’s..." 

Shushing her softly, Sam reassured her that Leah, Paul, and Embry had already caught his scent and ran off to get him. With her in his arms, he began racing off, presumably towards his house, but Joselyn wouldn’t be content without her imprint safe with her. She squirmed and begged the entire time for him to go back and let her find Jake herself, but he stoically ignored her. Eventually, they arrived at his and Emily’s house to find the rest of the pack and imprints assembled, concern radiating off of them all. 

Joselyn was swept up in the whirlwind of Emily’s motherly instincts as she was subjected to a blissfully hot shower, several sandwiches, and a cozy sweater. But throughout it all, the young teacher’s attention was elsewhere. Her mind was fixed on her mating bond with Jacob, tracking almost obsessively his every movement and emotion, most of which were muddled and confused. When she was finally coddled to everyone’s satisfaction, she demanded answers from those present, namely Leah who had returned only a few minutes ago without Jacob. 

It was Emily who answered for all of them, “Paul called me as soon as they found Jake and said things weren’t looking good. The knife they used to stab him was rusted and dull, but they couldn’t risk pulling it out. And it's not something I’m qualified to mend either.” 

She sighed deeply, rubbing her temples and sitting dejectedly onto the couch beside Jos, “So we decided they needed to take him to the hospital.”

Alarm bells began to instantly go off in Joselyn’s head. How could they be so foolish? The hospital was too public, and what would they tell them? As if foreseeing these doubts, the pack’s matriarch pressed on, “The cover story we’ve developed is that you two were out for a stroll when you were mugged. Jacob fought them off while you ran and called Paul and Embry. They were close by and managed to chase off the attackers, but not before he was hurt.”

She was afraid of the answer, but Joselyn still asked, “Has anyone heard from the doctors?” 

Leah nodded her head at this, “The boys called a few minutes ago, he’s in surgery right now but should be ready for visitors in a few hours.” 

That would explain the haziness she had gotten from their bond, the hospital likely gave him some powerful anesthesia before surgery. Although she was relieved beyond words that he was alive, it was agony to know that he was still so far out of her reach. Is this what it felt like when she was taken? Could that only have been a day ago? 

At the insistence of the pack, she let herself be ushered to Emily and Sam’s room where she was ordered to try and rest. That was easy for them to say, none of them had been kidnapped, shifted into a wolf, and watched their mate stabbed within the past 24 hours. This was also something that had yet to be addressed to her satisfaction: how was it that she was able to transform? Sam brushed off most of her questions, insisting that they focus on her health, but she could tell that it unnerved him all the same. 

Despite her protests, her body was in desperate need of sleep and she dozed off almost immediately. She awoke an unknown amount of time later, slightly groggy but feeling infinitely better. She then wandered into the living room to find a much quieter house than she had fallen asleep in. The almost two dozen wolves and women had narrowed down to only Emily, Brooke, and Seth. The baby noticed her first, babbling in excitement and toddling over to Jos who picked her up happily. After enduring a long checkup by Emily and consenting to more food, she asked where everyone had gone to. 

With Emily occupied with feeding both Brooke and Joselyn, Seth took it upon himself to answer, “Most people went home, Embry had to drive Amanda back to Port Angeles, Brady and Collin have tests tomorrow, and Quil got called in to work your ‘mugging’ case.” 

Sensing her real question, he continued, “Jake got out of surgery about two hours ago, Rachel, Billy, and Paul are there with him now. I can take you over once you eat.” 

She shook her head at him as she hustled to find her shoes, “We’ll leave now, I can eat in the car.” 

Knowing that they would be fighting a losing battle, they consented and in no time, she and Seth were racing down the road towards the hospital. Joselyn did eat as promised, but her stomach was in knots the entire ride. She could feel that Jacob was still asleep and at least he wasn’t in pain anymore, but that didn’t tell her much. Had his heart or lungs been damaged? Did he sustain any other injuries she hadn’t seen? When would he wake up? Ironically, the closer they got, the more nervous she became until she was practically vibrating in her seat as they pulled into the parking lot.

She gave Seth a quick smile before bolting out of the car and into the lobby. Frantically, she asked the secretary where she could find Jacob Black and she was directed to the East wing of the second floor. Taking the stairs as fast as she could, she emerged breathless into his room where she found his... _ their _ family sitting around his bed. The recovery room they had put him in was of modest size; with the bed perpendicular to the door, several chairs surrounding it, and a window immediately across from her. Her eyes instantly zeroed in on her mate lying serenely in bed, breathing steadily, and with few noticeable injuries. 

None of them attempted to hug her for which she was grateful, not because she didn’t love them, but because there was someone who needed her more. Rachel graciously relinquished her chair on the right side of his bed when Jos entered and went to stand with Paul near the window. Joselyn wanted nothing more than to wrap herself in his arms and feel for herself that he was alright, but she didn’t yet know the extent of his injuries, so she sat down and gingerly took his hand in hers. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, with only the beeping of Jacob’s monitors filling the space. Eventually, Billy spoke up to fill her in on what had happened. After the boys brought him in, Jake was immediately rushed into surgery where they were able to successfully remove the knife, sanitize the wound, and established that it miraculously hadn’t damaged any vital organs. Once the doctors settled him into the recovery room, they informed them that it would be only a few hours before the anesthesia wore off and he would wake up. They had been keeping vigil ever since. 

Although they didn’t ask it directly, Joselyn knew they were desperate to know the events that had transpired in the cave, so she caught them up as quickly as she could. By the time she finished her story, her throat was considerably tighter and her eyes had gotten very moist, but she held it together. 

“You’re a brave young woman,” Billy commented, reaching over to squeeze her knee, “And I’m so happy to call you my daughter.” 

That was the final straw for her as the tears came unbidden. For the first time in weeks, they weren’t tears of fear or sadness, but of joy, relief, and love. Sniffling, she left her seat long enough to embrace her new father, sister, and brother tightly as they all let themselves enjoy to the touching moment. 

When she was settled back in her seat, Joselyn decided that it would be the perfect time to bring up the question that had been plaguing her, “Billy, how was I able to shift back in the cave?” 

He remained silent for a long period before he spoke, “In all our tribe’s legends, I have never heard of an imprint being able to access the gift, even one with the bloodline. Then again, Leah is the first woman to ever become a wolf, so I suppose it is only fitting that the traditions change again.” 

They spoke for a while longer about her experience in wolf form and if she still felt a connection to the spirit. At the moment she didn’t but this wasn’t too unusual he assured her seeing as she was recovering from an intense and traumatic event. When an hour had passed since her arrival and Jacob still showed no signs of stirring, Joselyn finally realized that it was nearing 8pm or the end of visiting hours. However, due to the circumstances, and the Black family’s position on the res, Joselyn would be able to stay the night with him. Bidding her family a warm goodbye, Jos accepted the nurse’s offer of a toothbrush and fresh pjs and went to freshen up before bed. 

The nurse, whose name was Lauryl, performed a quick vitals check and confirmed that while he was still asleep, there was no reason for concern. Finally alone, Joselyn returned to her position at his bedside, his hand clasped gently between her own. With nothing else to do, she began talking to him. In hesitant whispers, she shared the gut wrenching fear she felt earlier that day when she awoke alone in the cave and learned that she was being used as bait to lure him to the vampires. She admonished him for thinking it was even a remotely good idea to sacrifice himself for her. They were imprints, an unbreakable pair, and losing him would have shattered her heart beyond repair. 

“All I could think,” she continued tearily, “was how I would never get to hold you again, or how we would never move in together, or argue about something silly like toothpaste, or see you as I walk down the aisle at our wedding.” 

Letting out a shaky breath, she squeezed his hand for emphasis, “you  _ promised _ me a future together, and I won’t let that go without a fight.” 

Joselyn nearly leapt out of her chair when she heard him answer in a groggy voice, “I’ll never stop fighting for us either.” 

With a gasp, she launched herself into his arms, both sobbing uncontrollably as they were finally reunited and whole once more. 


	10. New Beginnings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long time no see! I'm sorry this took so long, 2020 am I right? Here is the final chapter of my fic, it's certainly not the best piece of writing I've ever done but y'all deserve an ending :) Thank you to every single person who read, left kudos, and commented. I've had so much fun writing this and am a bit sad to see it go, but alas all things must end. I've got 2 ideas for epilogues (honeymoon and preganancy/baby) so let me know if you'd like to read that or if you have any other ideas. Again, thank you all from the bottom of my heart and happy new years :)

Through a combination of Joselyn’s persuasiveness and Billy Black’s prestige on the res, they were able to convince the hospital to release Jake the next day. On top of the fact that he absolutely hated the sterile white walls and various nurses and doctors prodding him constantly, they were worried that if he stayed any longer the staff would catch onto the fact that he was healing quickly. Abnormally quickly. 

This suited everyone just fine, Jake was excited to return home and Joselyn was happy to not spend another night sleeping in a hospital armchair. The one stipulation the hospital insisted on was a follow up visit in a few weeks, which the couple agreed to upfront and then decided privately to postpone several times to keep up the ruse of average healing times. 

So it was on Sunday morning that the Alpha was reluctantly forced into a wheelchair and brought out of the hospital to his sister’s waiting car. Maneuvering carefully, they got him situated in the back while Joselyn took shotgun. On the drive, Rachel caught the couple up on what had transpired while they had been in the hospital. Quil masterfully redirected police sweeps away from the large pawprints in the woods and was leading them on a wild goose chase on the other side of the reservation. Aside from a few small bruises, the rest of the pack was unharmed from the altercation and had wanted to throw a “welcome home” party for Jake, which Emily has quickly vetoed. Instead, she and a few of the others came over the night before to clean and leave a few premade dishes for the couple. 

They were abundantly grateful for this in particular since the minute they were dropped off, any desire to cook instantly left their minds and was replaced with a more...base desire. Rachel had departed only moments before the couple fell into each others’ arms, kissing with abandon and passion. The last few days had been tumultuous at best, traumatic at worst, and now finally alone, they were both desperate for the confirmation that their partner was safe and alive. 

Between Jacob’s shaky balance and their insatiable hunger, they only made it as far as the couch. Their love making began fiercely and fast, but slowed to a more sensual pace as their exhausted bodies caught up with them. When they both reached their climax, they laid there for several minutes longer, enjoying the afterglow and the assurance of being together. Unfortunately, it was Jos’ stomach that ended the tender moment with an aggressive growl. Lifting herself off of her lover’s chest, she gave him a final kiss before sauntering off, still naked, to the kitchen. In the fridge, she found a collection of tupperware with food from their family and choosing one at random, she put it in the microwave to reheat. She hummed softly to herself as she gathered plates, napkins, forks, and waters to accompany the mac and cheese that she picked. 

When the timer dinged, she carried their food back to her wolf who was waiting ever so patiently on the couch for her return. 

“Did you miss me?” she asked with a coy wink.

His answering smile was heart wrenching and full of love, telling her more than any words could. With a ‘thank you’ and a swift kiss on the cheek, the couple dug into their first real meal back home. 

They ate in silence, having spent enough of their hospital stay going over the events of the past several days. Now, safely home and with each other, they didn’t feel the need to fill the silence with words. Their love was almost a tangible presence that spoke for itself.

After scarfing down the food at alarming speeds, Joselyn convinced her mate to at least relocate upstairs before a nap/round two. They spent most of the day in bed, making love and making light conversation until they fell asleep entwined. 

A few hours later, she woke up slowly and was immediately comforted by Jacob’s sleeping form still wrapped around her. While she usually would be more than happy to stay there indefinitely, her body had other things to take care of. So extracting herself carefully from bed, Jos shuffled into the bathroom to relieve herself and take a long, hot, and well deserved shower. 

She had just finished washing the conditioner from her hair when she heard a scream from the bedroom. Without even bothering to turn off the water or put on a towel, she raced through the door to find Jacob on the verge of a panic attack while he tried to force his weakened body out of bed. 

Rushing over to him, she immediately tried to check his injuries to see if anything had been torn or reopened. Unable to discern anything from his jumbled and still sleepy thoughts, she was terrified that something was wrong. Before she could question him further, he wrapped her in a fierce embrace, pulling her into his lap and burying his head in her neck. 

Although Jos never had a panic attack herself, Emily had warned her that it was a very likely possibility given the trauma the two had experienced. The best thing to do, the matriarch said, was to reassure the person that they were safe and ask questions later. As difficult as that was, she pushed her own worries aside and held her mate as tightly as she could, whispering softly that he was alright and planting gentle kisses along his head. 

As he woke up more fully, his breathing began to slow and his thought came through to her clearly. When he saw that she wasn’t in bed when he woke up, his mind instantly returned to the place it was when she was taken. In a surge of panic and disorientation, Jacob thought he had yet to rescue her or worse, that he had failed. 

With his thoughts and memories running through her, Joselyn held him more closely to her, drawing her own comfort from his presence. She knew that she had her own scars and demons given what she went through, but her worry over Jake’s injuries had kept them mostly at bay. Seeing him now, feeling his own fear and vulnerability, released a dam she didn’t know she had built and before long, her tears were falling just as fast as his. 

They took comfort from one another, drawing strength from the love they shared and in knowing that they had an entire future waiting for them. One that they had fought and struggled for, which made them entitled to at least several minutes of crying, right? 

Joselyn didn’t even know what day it was, never mind how long they spent clutching one another. But soon the tears came to a stop and were replaced by limbering sniffles and soothing touches. 

Separating enough to look in his eyes, Jos was the first to break their silence. “I want to move in with you.” she declared, brushing the wetness from beneath her eyes. 

Jake chuckled at her sudden shift in topic, reaching up to cup his face in his hands and kiss her gently on the lips, “I thought we already confirmed that?” he asked teasingly. 

She rolled her eyes and kissed him back before responding, “I know silly man, I mean now. I want to call the pack and ask them to help us pack my house and bring everything here.” 

“You don’t think that’s too soon?” He wondered, immediately backtracking “not that I don’t want you here, of course I do! It’s just so much has happened and I don’t want you to feel pressured into doing this for me.”

She shook her head, “With all that’s happened, I think we’ve thrown the ‘normal’ timeline out the window. And we deserve to be happy, right?”

She waited for him to nod before continuing, “And  _ you _ make me happier than I’ve ever been, so I say who cares what people think! This,” she gestured between them, “ _ us _ is forever, so why not take the step now?”

Jacob looked at her in shock for several moments, she could practically see the wheels turning in his head and could feel his hesitation as he asked her, “Does that mean that one day...obviously not now or even soon but...one day...you’ll marry me?” 

“Is that a proposal?” She giggled. 

He laughed with her before becoming serious once more “Sort of? I just know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you Joselyn, but I also don’t feel that getting married is going to make that happen any faster. Does that make sense? Do I make sense? Do...” 

She cut him off with a passionate kiss, swallowing his doubts with her lips and replacing them with assurance and promises, “Of course it does and of course I’ll marry you one day Jacob” she smiled giddily. 

Grinning broadly for the first time in what felt like eons, the Alpha embraced his mate as they celebrated their eventual engagement. 

* * *

“No bride should be this calm on her wedding day” Ellen joked goodnaturedly as she finished zipping up her daughter’s dress. 

Since River was busy making adjustments to her veil, Joselyn could only roll her eyes at her mother through the mirror, “And what would you know? How many weddings have you even been to?” 

The gentle bickering was lost in the sea of organized chaos that was the couple's house. With only a few minutes until she needed to leave for the beach, there were dozens of last minute details to iron out and small crises to fix. But none of it fazed the bride, because at the end of the hour, she would be married to her soulmate, her partner, her wolf, her Jacob. 

Making good on his promise to wait before proposing, he had instead transferred all his energy into helping her settle into their house. Of course a small army of shapeshifters was quite useful in physically moving her in, but he wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible. That’s why a trashcan appeared in their bathroom and a spare room was cleared out to be her studio. 

It also helped that the school, in light of the “mugging”, gave her two weeks off to recover physically and emotionally. With her at home, Jacob decided that he would transfer the day-to-day operations of the garage to Embry and Brady and spend time with her. Although they had already been together for a few weeks, this impromptu break gave them the chance to connect on a whole other level and solidify their relationship even more. 

But after sitting around the house for several days, they were both feeling restless and bored. That’s when Jake suggested they drive down to Arizona and visit her mother. Since Jos had already gotten to meet his entire family and since they were basically engaged, he wanted to get to know Ellen. She loved the idea and after a few frantic hours of packing and deciding on logistics, they hopped on Jacob’s motorcycle and were off. 

Much like when Jos first drove to the res, they decided to take a scenic route and enjoy their impromptu vacation. By the time they reached her childhood home, they had visited several states, national parks, and spent many nights enjoying one another’s company in motels. Unsurprisingly, Jacob and her mother got along splendidly. Ellen was ecstatic to share her collection of Joselyn’s baby pictures and enjoyed hearing about current life on the res. Of course there were some more intense conversations about the vampire attacks and Jake’s life as a wolf, but all in all the visit was a success and they made it back to La Push in time for them to start work back up. 

In her absence, Joselyn’s substitute had done a wonderful job of continuing with the lesson plans that Jos had left. On her first day back, her students greeted her with a large “we missed you!” card complete with hand drawn pictures and messages. Although the time with her mother and Jacob had been wonderful, Jos missed her students terribly and was thrilled to jump back into work. Jacob also hit the ground running at his shop as a series of restoration orders had come in over his break that needed his attention. Embry and Brady had done a great job of taking care of any repairs that had come in, but neither had the experience or skills to do full restoration. 

With normalcy restored, the next few months passed in a flash of pack dinners, romantic evenings, and exciting news. Around December, Sam and Emily announced that they were expecting their second child and around a month later, Leah and Atka were approved to adopt a young boy from the Makah reservation named Dominick. After receiving a big promotion, Rachel was able to open a branch of her company in Port Angeles where she and Paul moved after a few months of long-distance. After graduating in December, Jared and Kim moved back to La Push where he started work at the Forks Chamber of Commerce and Kim began her doctoral studies on a local species of fox. With Amanda still a few years away from graduation, Embry finally decided to move in with her and with his degree, established himself as a freelance web designer. 

_ They’ll all be here today _ , Joselyn thought to herself. A few years ago, she had never envisioned that her life would lead her to so many wonderful people and such a large, chaotic, and loving family. 

“I think we’re ready!” River called. The young woman had taken her role as Maid of Honor very seriously and was strict about keeping the bridal party on time to the ceremony location. Shuffling into various cars, they made their way down to First Beach where a beautiful tent and chairs were assembled on the beach. The day turned out to be perfect, the June day was warm with a slight breeze which kept everyone from sweating too profusely. 

As she emerged from the car, Joselyn could feel the tears already welling in her eyes. This day was the beginning of forever, and there was no one else she wanted to spend it with. 


End file.
